Remnant's Reclamation
by Phantomwa1ker
Summary: Remnant is filled with secrets and stories. Some are real, and some are myth. And some are ones that should never be uncovered. When the bowels of Remnant begin to churn with an ancient evil, one boy is given an object of Forerunner origin. He isn't sure why he's been granted his new abilities. But one thing's for certain: He has a pivotal role to play in the future of Remnant.
1. Chapter 1 - Prologue

**OK. So this is my first story on fanfiction. I wanted to give writing a story a try, so here it is. I'm not really sure what will come out of this, but I guess we'll see. I came up with this idea in my head one day and it wouldn't leave. So I just had to put it on paper (metaphorically). I was kind of inspired by Roses Born Of Dust, another Halo/RWBY crossover. You should go give it a read, in my opinion its really good. However I wouldn't be doing this without my good buddy GeneratedName. Without him then this fic wouldn't even be happening. He's my beta, he helps me with ideas, and he motivated me to do this. So at LEAST a quarter of this story belongs to him. He is a writer as well, and a damn good one at that. You should all go check him out. You will regret it if you don't. I'm not sure how often I will update. Between school, hobbies, and just life in general I don't have too much time to write. Also considering i'm trying to keep this a secret from my family doesn't help. I could let them know what I'm doing, but the teasing and possible judging that would follow just isn't worth it. But there is an easy way to make me update more. You like my story? Review and tell me that. You feed my ego, I'll give you more chapters. I need motivation to keep this going. If you don't tell me that you like what I'm doing then I will just think that what I'm doing is a waste of my time and stop. So please review and tell me what you think of my story. I want 100% HONEST opinions. However I will not accept flame. You don't like my story? Then tell me why. Constructively criticize it. Also I'm going to attempt to put in some romance. But since it's my first story I'm only going to try one and it's just to see how it goes. But if it ends up being bad then I'm just going to go back through the story and delete it. Also I have the story all planned out for the most part so I wont stop this story because I don't know what to do next. Though just a note this story will be following canon for most of it, but i will be putting in my own parts here and there and I have ideas about how to make it more my original. Make no mistake though it will be following canon for about half or three quarters of the story it wont be following canon for all of it. I will put in my own parts to make it interesting. But enough of my blabbering. Without further ado, I present to you, Remnants Reclamation. Hope you like it. P.S Midori is for the green colour.**

 **I don't own Halo or RWBY. That's the only time I'm saying it.**

* * *

Remnant's Reclamation

* * *

Mary Midori didn't like flying. She didn't hate it, but she didn't like it. It was always unsettling, as if she was going to fall out of the sky at any second. If she had the choice of a long car ride or a short flight, she would pick the car every time, but unfortunately for her, today it wasn't an option.

She had been a huntress for 4 years now. She graduated from Beacon and quickly became successful huntress, but with being a successful Huntress came harder missions. Of course, difficulty was not an issue, and she even liked the challenge.

She was currently on her way to a small town a fair distance away from Vale with her team, said team being composed of Zach Quillflow, Ryan Krupt, and Stacy Drake. Their destination was named Solitude, thanks to a lack of nearby settlements, as well as its general distance from Vale. However, while this gave the town a fair bit of autonomy, it came with a steep price, with the Creatures of Grimm doing their utmost to exact that price in blood. Solitude had recently called for help, requesting aid due to an over-sized Deathstalker terrorizing the town. However, while the town's defenses could have dealt with an ordinary Deathstalker, this one was different. It was reportedly smarter, vanishing into the wilderness every time the town's defenses started doing damage to it, only to re-appear once again several days later to kill once more.

Fortunately, the townspeople had reportedly found the cave the Deathstalker had been running off to, using a remote-controlled drone to track it to its lair when it fled. Emboldened by this find, the people of Solitude decided to go on the offensive, and promptly called for hunters to deal with it. Mary and her team had accepted the job and were heading to the town to find out the exact location of the creature's cave and eliminate it, so that the people of Solitude could finally rest easy, knowing that the over-sized scorpion would no longer be battering down the town walls in the night.

"Are we there yet?" Mary called up to the pilot, her face slightly green.

"Almost. ETA is in approximately 5 minutes." The pilot of the Bullhead VTOL transport responded. Mary nodded, somewhat relieved by that news. From the seat beside her, Ryan looked over to her, a pitying expression on his face.

"I really don't understand your problem with flying. I mean, you don't get motion sickness, so why do you look so nauseous whenever we're in the air?"

"Its unnatural! People weren't meant to fly like this." Mary answered, looking around the compartment for support, but finding none.

"That's true." Stacy replied, "We weren't meant to fly. But guess what? Everyone does it, and most people don't have a problem with it. But those who do it's usually because of air sickness. I bet very few people dislike flying just because we weren't meant to."

"I agree. It's most unnatural for people to dislike flying for such a specific reason." Zach chipped in, his fox ears twitching slightly as he spoke.

"Whatever. I don't like flying and that's that." Mary said, throwing her hands in the air exasperatedly.

The compartment was silent after that, the occupants knowing from experience that their teammate was not at all pleasant to deal with when angry.

A few silent minutes would pass before the pilot broke the silence.

"We're approaching the town of Solitude. Unfortunately, it doesn't look like there's enough room to land a Bullhead within the town wall, so I hope you guys remember your landing strategy! I'll come back and pick you up tomorrow, once I've refueled at the nearest airbase. Good luck with that over-sized bug!"

"Thanks. I hope you have a safe flight back." Zach was the first to reply.

"Of course you do. Who else will fly Huntsmen for half price." The pilot answered, causing the huntsmen within the craft to chuckle. Then, the aircraft slowed to a halt and began to hover, its doors sliding open and causing wind to ruffle its occupants' clothes.

Solitude looked like it had seen better days, that much was clear from the start. Mary's team quickly leaped out of the Bullhead, before watching it wheel around and zoom away in the direction of the nearest airbase. As luck would have it, they were greeted almost immediately by a pair of armed guards, clad in ill-fitting, torn uniforms. Several brownish blots on one of the man's uniforms showed that it had been covered in blood recently, which, when coupled with the placement of some of the tears made Mary wonder if the person who stood in front of her was the first owner of said uniform.

"You the huntsmen from Vale?" The older of the two spoke, his voice parched from overuse.

"That we are. We're here to-"

"I know. It's about damn time you came. A few more weeks and there likely wouldn't have been a village to save. Speaking of which, our mayor wants to have a word with you. Fuchs here will escort you to his residence." The older guard gestured towards the younger, who stepped forward, trying and failing to look tough. The red-headed boy clutched a carbine as if it were a full-size rifle, standing in an awkward imitation of a real soldier. A kitchen knife was taped to the end of his gun, sufficing as a crude bayonet.

"Right this way, Ma'am." The boy said, his voice cracking as he spoke. How old was he anyway? Mary gave voice to her thoughts a few moments later.

"I'm only fourteen, Ma'am, but don't worry! I can still fight!" The boy gave her what he thought was a jaunty smile as he replied.

As luck would have it, the Mayor's residence was on the opposite end of town, meaning that the team got a free tour of Solitude, their impromptu guide answering their questions regarding the state of the settlement. Several times they had to be redirected thanks to rubble from the past few attacks still blocking the streets, the small town lacking the manpower to clear it out. As they kept going they passed a store that had been converted into a makeshift hospital, the original having been destroyed several weeks before. Looking through the cracked window, Mary saw that the interior was filled with wounded men and women, all of whom were covered in bloody bandages.

Something deep within the impromptu hospital caught her notice, and her eyes widened slightly as they came to rest on a row of tarps, the white sheets covering what were once people, but were now simply corpses awaiting cremation. Her heart clenched as she saw that one particular body was smaller than the rest, the figure underneath it being similarly small, and Mary knew at once that it was a child under those blankets. Stacy followed her gaze and sighed sadly.

"This town is in pretty bad shape. Even worse than I thought it would be." She said.

"Unless we end these attacks, it will only get worse. If things continue like this, the town will be bled dry." Mary said.

The team continued onward, seeing more re-purposed buildings deeper within the town. Houses, shops and public buildings had been converted into barracks for the fighters, safehouses for the non-combatants and children, quarantined hospitals to prevent the spread of disease, and storage centers that contained food, spare parts, ammunition, repair tools and supplies, and so much more.

Finally, the team arrived at the mayor's house. Fuchs knocked on the door, which was opened by an old man, who looked to be in his late sixties. He wore a grey suit with a white tie, while his wrinkled face was adorned with a grey mustache.

"Are you the Huntsmen I hired to kill that damn Deathstalker?" He asked, noticing the Huntsmen behind the young guardsman.

"Yes we are. Are you the Mayor?" Mary asked in return.

"That I am. Please come in, we have much to discuss." The mayor replied, ushering them inside. Fuchs took that as his cue to leave, and the young boy ran off, presumably with the intention of returning to his post.

The mayor led them inside to a big, open room with a long table, around which sat multiple chairs.

"Please sit down." Everyone sat down, Mary and the mayor at the heads of the table, while Mary's team sat around her.

"So. Where would you like to begin?" The mayor asked.

"Let's start from the beginning." Mary replied, and the man took that as his cue to speak.

"Very well. It all started about a month ago. Everything was normal, people were going about their daily routines, the Grimm were still attempting to rip down our walls, and our defenses were holding them off well enough. Thanks to us being near the Atlesian border we were able to get our hands on some advanced tech, which meant that the bigger Grimm stayed clear more often than not. One day though, a lone Deathstalker came out of the woods and into our town's killzone. It was clearly different from others of its kind though. For one, it was bigger than normal, bigger than even the ordinary Elder Deathstalkers we normally see in the wilds. In addition, its tail was blood red instead of gold, and it lacked the moss and greenery that normally grows on such old specimens of their kind. It was just clean bone armor, and as we soon found out, it was much, much stronger than normal. Even our biggest guns just bounced off that thick plate, and before we could do anything the beast had begun to attack. However, instead of going for the town gates, it targeted our defenses first, and pretty quickly opened up a breach. Then it went for the main gate. It broke through easily, and led a horde of lesser creatures into the town, killing everyone in sight. We were able to mobilize and repel the initial horde, but the Deathstalker just turned tail and ran for the woods. We would have given chase but the attack had drawn even more Grimm to our town, and since then we have been under constant attack. So far, we've been able to keep them out of the town proper, but every time we start to make progress in rebuilding our defenses the Deathstalker comes back! Since the attacks started that thing's been back four times, and each time the damn bug opens up another breach. Therefore, I decided to pool together the town's resources to hire a team of hunters to kill this monster. That's where you come in." The mayor said as he finished his story.

"You guys must be pretty damn tough to have survived all this time." Ryan whistled.

"I agree. How is it that your town hasn't fallen yet?" Stacy said.

"Well me and everyone else in this town believe in one thing. If we're gonna die, we're not gonna die lying down. We'll fight until the last man." The Mayor replied, drawing out a small, holdout pistol from a holster on his hip. It was a pitiful weapon, useless against all but the weakest of Grimm, but its presence gave weight to the old man's statement.

"That is an excellent way of thinking. It is better to die with honor on the battlefield than to starve to death in a bunker." Zach commented.

"Well said Zach. Now, if I remember correctly whats been attacking you isn't an ordinary Deathstalker, rather, it is some sort of Ancient Grimm. These things are at least as old as Goliaths, and are just as intelligent, if not more so. But moving on, what do you want us to do about it?" Mary asked.

"Before we talk business, we're gonna talk about getting paid." Ryan spoke before the Mayor could answer.

The mayor looked slightly crestfallen by the new subject. But he quickly put on a neutral face and spoke.

"As promised I have gathered your payment from the last of our towns funds. Once the deed is done come back here and I will-" Mary cut him off.

"It's alright sir. No pay is necessary." The mayor looked like he was going to object to this, so she quickly continued; "From what I've seen you're going to need all the money and resources you can get. Between healing the injured and fixing the damage you're probably going to be bankrupt by the time this is over."

"Thank you ma'am. You are very thoughtful." The mayor looked at her and smiled, relief clear in his eyes.

"Mary! What the hell-" Ryan started before Mary stood up and grabbed his ear, starting to pull him out of the mayor's house.

"Send the Deathstalker's cave location to my scroll. We'll be in touch." Mary said as she continued to painfully drag Ryan out behind her. Stacy and Zach stood up and followed their cursing teammate. Mary only let go once the team was outside.

"Ow, that really hurt." Ryan complained, rubbing his ear.

"Suck it up baby." Mary replied, a disappointed look on her face.

"What the hell do you think you're doing? You know that we don't do this stuff for free, right? We put our lives on to line to get paid. We're not a damn charity!" Ryan demanded.

"If that were true then we wouldn't be huntsmen, we'd be mercenaries! But we're not mercenaries, and as HUNTSMEN it is our sworn duty to protect humanity from the Grimm. Look around! Don't you think these people need the money? We can always find another paying job, but do you honestly think these people will be able to survive without the ability to purchase food? What about medicine? Shame on you!" Mary scolded her teammate in response.

"And you wonder why you're so poor." Ryan muttered.

Mary's face contorted into rage. But before she could permanently injure Ryan, Stacy smacked him upside the head.

"You know that's not true! And she's not poor! They're just going through some financial trouble!" Stacy almost screamed at him. Behind him, Zach looked on in disapproval.

"Ryan, you know the reason why Mary and her family are low on money is because they had to pay for her son's surgery for treating his CHD (Congenital Heart Defect). No matter how mad you might be there is NO reason to bring something up like that unless your being serious about it. And don't you think that these people will need the money more than you will?" The fox Faunus added.

"Okay, okay, you guys are right. I'm sorry. My apologies to everyone. Especially Mary." Ryan apologized, a sheepish look on his face as he rubbed the back of his neck.

Mary, still slightly upset that Ryan had brought the subject without compassion slapped him upside the head once more before giving her response.

"Apology accepted, but don't think you'll be so lucky next time. Now, let's see where that monster is." She brought out her scroll, noticing a message from the mayor, and smiled as she saw the data.

"Okay. Got the location. It's 10 kilometers due south of here. You guys ready to go?" Mary asked.

She received a series of affirmatives as everyone pulled out their weapons. Stacy's weapon was a curved sword infused with ice dust, allowing her to freeze her targets, while her semblance allowed her to heal injuries, both her own and those of others, at a rapid rate. Ryan, meanwhile had a hammer, it's handle capable of separating into a chain, allowing it to become a heavy flail for longer ranged strikes. His semblance, meanwhile, increased his physical strength as he grew angrier. Then there was Zach, whose weapon consisted of a long metal pole, its end covered in rotating spikes, allowing Zach to easily tear apart the insides of any Grimm he strikes. His semblance, meanwhile granted him he ability to run and jump faster than any ordinary human by strengthening his legs, making it all too easy for him to land a killing blow. Finally, Mary's weapon was a sniper rifle capable of transforming it into a double-edged blade. Her semblance synergized perfectly with her weapon, allowing her to see weak points while active, allowing her to bring down even the mightiest of Grimm with a single, well-placed shot.

As they walked to the town gate, the surviving townspeople lined the streets, cheering them on. The guards up on the walls saluted them, before opening a small sally port beside the main gate, allowing them to exit single-file. Outside the walls lay one thousand meters of open land, covered in tree stumps, but lacking any living trees. At the end of this open kill zone, the forest began, and their safety was no longer guaranteed.

Mary looked back at the town they had left behind, which was only now starting to fade into the distance. Giving the defenders a final wave, she led her team into the forest.

"Alright. Let's go." Mary said before she and her team set out for the Ancient Deathstalker's cave.

Nearly an hour passed before the team arrived at its destination. Fortunately, ten kilometers in an hour was little more than a brisk jog for the group, none of the huntsmen having even broken a sweat.

"That was quick enough. Reminds me of my early morning jogs back in Beacon." Zach commented as he stretched out. Beside him, Ryan sat down on a conveniently placed rock.

"I say! I don't think there was anyone else in Beacon that happily got out of bed at six o'clock in the morning to run himself ragged." The sitting Huntsman commented.

"Six o'clock? I'm insulted! I got up at four!" Zach replied.

"That you did. I agree though, it was pretty fun once I got used to it!" Stacy added. Ryan simply shook his head.

"Alright, enough chit-chat! I would prefer that we maintain the element of surprise." Mary said, stopping the conversation in its tracks.

Ten minutes passed as the huntsmen split up, searching for the entrance to the Deathstalker's cave. It was Stacy who found it, and soon the team converged on her position

The cave itself was embedded in the side of a small cliff, its entrance yawning wide open. Several Grimm corpses in various states of evaporation were strewn about the entrance. Clearly, Stacy had been busy.

"That's a big cave." Ryan muttered as he approached it.

"...Yep." Stacy replied, leaning against the stone by the cave's entrance.

"...It must be a pretty big Deathstalker." Ryan continued.

"...Yep." Stacy deadpanned.

"...So what's the plan boss?" Ryan turned to Mary, who had just arrived on the scene. She thought for a few seconds before giving her answer.

"We have to draw it out. If we go in there, we'll be fighting on its terms, and that means we're as good as dead. We need to get it into a open area where we have the space to dodge its attacks, giving us the ability to hit it from multiple directions at once. However, that means someone has to go in there, get its attention, and then lure it out. Anyone volunteer?"

Stacy thought for a moment, before speaking.

"I volunteer Zach."

Zach looked at her for a moment, before nodding.

"I do believe I am the best choice, given my Semblance." He said, although there was a barely noticeable amount of fear present in his voice.

"Very well. Zach, don't take any unnecessary risks. Just get in there, get its attention, and draw it out. No heroics, understood?" Mary cautioned.

"Don't worry. Trying and failing at being the dashing hero is Ryan's job." Zach replied, a smirk on his face, as he began to walk into the dark cavern.

Pulling out his scroll, Zach quickly turned it around and activated its flashlight feature, the bright light allowing him to see as he proceeded deeper into the pitch-black cavern. He tried his hardest to keep his breathing even and his thoughts calm, knowing that too much fear would attract any Grimm in the cave to his position. However, as he proceeded deeper into the darkness, his heartbeat intensified, and sweat began to appear despite the cool air of the giant cavern.

Zach's teammates were not idle as he proceeded into the dark abyss, as Mary immediately began to issue orders.

"Stacy! I want you above the cave. When it comes out, freeze its legs to the ground. I want it totally immobilized. Ryan, I want you to hide in the bushes right beside the cave entrance. When the Deathstalker is frozen I want you to try and pulverize the joints on its tail to prevent it from using it. The fewer weapons it has the better." Mary's teammates nodded, and assumed their positions, ready to strike. As they did so, Mary pointed to a row of bushes several hundred meters away from the cave opening.

"Meanwhile, I'll be positioned at the base of that tree. I'll try to hit any weak points in its armor. Hopefully, I can kill it quickly." Mary smiled, before heading off to her designated sniper perch. Now, the waiting began.

-Zach

Zach strode through the darkness, his scroll light, while dim, providing enough light that his faunus traits could take over comfortably. He couldn't see any signs of a Deathstalker in the cave, but he kept his guard up. It was certainly an old cave, Zach noted absentmindedly as he strode deeper inside, passing enormous dripping stalactites and stalagmites, his second set of ears twitching as every droplet fell to the ground.

'Stay calm, fear will attract Grimm and the mission will fall apart. I cannot allow that to happen!' Zach thought. He did not like being Deathstalker bait, but he spoke the truth when he said his skills were best suited to the task.

After a few more minutes of walking, Zach turned a corner into a big open cavern. He took his scroll out and shined it around the cavern, slowly looking around, seeing nothing but-

Right in front of him what he thought was simply a boulder suddenly glowed a bright red, its hateful eyes opening, and coming to focus on the foolish being that dared invade its haven.

Zach nearly had a heart attack then and there, his calm evaporating as cold fear shot through his body. He began to back out of the cavern, keeping his eyes on his foe, waiting to see what the monster would do. However, it did nothing, choosing instead to simply fix him with a cold, calculating stare, hissing as it did so. Man and monster stared at each other for what seemed like hours, but was in fact barely more than a minute. In the dim light, Zach began to look over the ancient Grimm's body, looking for any possible weak points in its defense that his team could exploit. It was a big creature, easily the size of a Goliath, with no moss growing on it, but the Mayor's description had failed to highlight some key differences the creature had from an ordinary Deathstalker. For one, it's body was completely covered in white bone armor, with no black visible, not even on its legs or belly. The armor itself extended all over the legs, with slight grey patches indicating the presence of joints, although they looked just as well armored as the legs. Even the tail was covered in thick chitinous plate, the stinger joint being encased in hard white to the point of being inseparable from the body.

"I don't suppose you'll just let me leave now, would you?" All trace of composure was gone from Zach's voice as he spoke.

The Deathstalker roared at him in response, causing Zach to scream and run off back the way he came. He could hear the tapping of the Deathstalkers eight legs chasing after him, but he couldn't look back, not when he had to keep his eyes on the ground to keep his footing on the uneven cave floor, which made the chase all the more terrifying. Even worse, Zach had a phobia of Deathstalkers ever since he had fallen into a pit of juveniles back during his initiation at Beacon. He still occasionally had nightmares about that incident, about the tiny Grimm crawling all over him, over and under his clothes, stinging and tearing into him all the while. Had Stacy not happened along to pull him out of the pit, he would have surely died. As it was, he had been too weak to attend his first week of classes at Beacon. Now though, he would trade anything in the world to replace the monster behind him with one of those juvenile scorpions from that pit.

He eventually made it back to the entrance, running out into the light. The sudden transition from pitch-black to bright light blinded him temporarily, causing him to shut his eyes in pain, but he kept running regardless. However, with his eyes shut, he didn't see the rock in front of him until his foot hit it, causing him to tumble to the ground. Before he could get up the Deathstalker was upon him.

Just as it was about to plunge it's stinger into his back, a shot rang out. The Deathstalker roared in pain as a bullet pierced one of it's eyes, and paused, allowing Zach to scramble out of the way of the incoming stinger blow.

By then Zach's eyes had adjusted to the light, and he had gotten up and turned to face his enemy, weapon ready.

"Now would be a good time for some back up!" He called out to his teammates, knowing that they had to be somewhere nearby. Though they might have sent him to attract a over-sized form of his worst nightmare, he knew they wouldn't just leave him there all alone with only Mary covering him with her sniper rifle.

Suddenly a blue light came from behind the monster, and it's eight legs were frozen to the ground. Then, Zach saw Ryan burst from the bushes and sprint towards the monstrous Deathstalker. As he ran, he brought out his hammer, shifting it into its flail form. With a furious expression on his face, Ryan leaped into the air, flail twirling above him at speeds that, were it not for aura, would have shattered the wielder's wrist. With a loud battle cry, Ryan slammed the flail into the Deathstalker's tail, intending to pulverize the appendage's joint. However, instead of crushing chitinous armor and driving the shards into soft flesh, the spiked head glanced off, continuing along its path to strike Ryan's face. While the man's aura absorbed the otherwise lethal strike, it was nonetheless enough to send him falling down to the Deathstalker's armored back.

Faster than the man could blink, the monster's tail shot forward, punching clean through his weakened aura and into his heart.

The three surviving huntsmen froze as their friend died, watching in horror as the Deathstalker lifted its tail into the air, Ryan's body still impaled upon it, before flinging the corpse away. The body that was once Ryan slammed into a tree with a dull 'thunk!', and slid down, trailing red as it did so.

As soon as the monster emerged, Stacy had encased its legs in ice and jumped off the ledge above the cave, intending to assist her teammate. However, when she saw the Ancient Grimm's tail plunge into her friend's heart she froze. Then, as the Deathstalker flung Ryan away, she sprinted towards his body, hoping in vain that he could be healed.

Zach's reaction, meanwhile, was the opposite. As Stacy panicked and hoped in vain, he screamed out in anguish, sadness, and above all, anger. He charged at the Deathstalker, staff at the ready. He ducked under its claws and stabbed at its face, intending to lodge his weapon into one of the beast's eyes. However, as he was doing so, the monster had used its tail to destroy some of the ice holding its legs. Using its freed legs to lift its body, the rest of the ice began to splinter, before shattering entirely, freeing the beast from its temporary prison. Before Zach could land a damaging blow, one of the monster's legs kicked him away, although Zach's aura absorbed the blow, and he quickly got to his feet once more.

As her icy handiwork shattered, Stacy got to Ryan's body. Had she been in a sound state of mind, she would have accepted his death, but in her hysteria she refused to give up.

"Ryan! Ryan! Y-y-your going to be just fine. Okay. Your g-going to be just fine. I'm going to heal you up, we're going to kill this thing, and then we're going to go h-home." She choked out, desperately activating her semblance as tears ran down her face. However, it was useless, and though Ryan's flesh began to knit together, his heart had been destroyed utterly, and he had lost far too much blood. Not even her semblance could save him. After what seemed like an eternity, she stopped trying. Still crying, she closed her teammate's eyes, and stood up, intending to avenge him. Just then, she heard a noise coming from some nearby bushes. Moments later, a Beowulf burst into the open, rushing straight at her. Of course, even in her distraught state Stacy was more than capable of dealing with a lowly Beowulf, and she promptly sliced it in half. However, Beowulves never hunted alone, and the creature's pack-mates began to howl, the sound doubtlessly drawing even more Grimm into the battle.

Eyes widening in horror, Stacy realized that the battle was lost.

"Zach! We've got more Grimm incoming! We need to get out of here!" She shouted to her partner, who was still desperately trying to avenge her friend.

* * *

Mary's heart nearly stopped when she saw her teammate die. She knew immediately that he was dead, but found cold comfort in the fact that he didn't suffer for long.

Her team's careful plan had fallen apart, and the incoming horde of Grimm meant that they couldn't stick around for long. With that in mind, she leaped down from her perch and ran towards her teammates, intending to give the retreat order. Up ahead, Zach finally managed to lodge his weapon in the monster's eye, and the beast cried out in agony as the spinning blades did their dirty work. Several feet away, Stacy finished off the last Beowulf in her immediate vicinity, although more were doubtlessly on the way. Temporarily freed up, she screamed once more at Zach in an attempt to snap him out of his rage. Evidently, her teammate heard her, as he successfully disengaged, using the opportunity to look around.

His observations proved fruitful, as he promptly spotted and gutted a Creep that was sneaking up behind him. More Grimm began to pour out of the surrounding flora, meaning that Zach and Stacy were quickly surrounded. Mary redoubled her efforts to reach them, but more Grimm leaped out at her. She killed them, but where one died, two more took its place, and she was forced to watch as her two remaining teammates fought alone against both Ancient and juvenile Grimm. To their credit, they held out for a few minutes, but then Stacy made a fatal mistake. In avoiding a strike from the Deathstalker's stinger tail, she leaped right into the path of a Beowulf's strike, the force of which sent her sprawling to the ground. Her weapon slipped out of her hand, and the Grimm converged on her, hiding her from Mary's view, but doing nothing to hide her agonized screams. She screamed for Zach to help her as she was ripped apart, but there was nothing the man could do. As he tried in vain to reach his teammate, the Deathstalker struck, impaling him through the heart, just like it did Ryan. Moments later, he was dead as well.

At that sight, Mary stopped running and dropped her weapon in shock. She couldn't believe that her three lifelong friends, who had fought and survived for so long by her side, were dead. In a matter of minutes, she had been reduced to the sole survivor of her team. With nobody left to help, Mary turned and ran, the horde of Grimm hot on her heels, the Ancient at the head of the pack.

However, even in her exhausted, hysterical state, she was easily capable of outrunning the horde, and had soon left them in the distance. However, she didn't stop, knowing that Grimm could sense negativity from far beyond visual range. Eventually, her legs gave out on her, and she collapsed to the ground. Thunder growled up above, and the first few drops of a rainstorm had begun to fall. Exhausted as she was, Mary knew that if she didn't find shelter, exposure would surely finish what the Grimm started.

However, as she tried to stand, she found that her legs could no longer support her, the exhausted appendages giving way beneath her. Without her legs, she was reduced to dragging herself along the ground, desperately trying to look for shelter. However, no such shelter was in sight, and pretty soon the exhausted huntress gave up, unable to drag herself any further.

She lay there, in the dirt, with raindrops pattering down all around her, waiting for the end. After all, her friends were already dead, and she would almost certainly join them soon, so why bother running?

Then, she thought of her son, who waited for her back in Vale. The baby boy wasn't even old enough to speak, and if she died now, she would leave him without even a memory of his mother! That thought alone renewed her will to survive, and she slowly, miraculously, staggered to her feet, leaning against a nearby tree. Then, she remembered her scroll, or more specifically, that she could use it to call for evac. However, as she opened it, she saw that she had no signal. The Solitude relay tower was evidently out of range. Sighing, she activated her distress beacon anyway, hoping that a passing aircraft might be able to pick it up.

With that in mind, Mary's next goal was to find shelter, which came in the form of a nearby cave. Using her Scroll as a flashlight, Mary descended into the darkness, out of the rain. However, after about two minutes of walking, she heard an all too familiar howl coming from outside the cave. The Grimm had found her, and now, unless the cave had another exit, she knew she was trapped. Unable to go back the way she came, she proceeded deeper into the cave, moving as fast as she could while leaning against the wall for support.

Eventually, the downward slope of the cave leveled out, the narrow passageway opening into a large cavern. As Mary looked around, she noticed that her scroll was not the only light source any more. Shutting off her scroll to conserve battery, she began to make her way towards the light, hoping that it was an exit. Slowly, the light grew brighter, but as she rounded the final corner, she saw that it was not an exit, but simply a glowing white metal wall. Curious, she approached it, and saw a blue panel shimmer into being just in front of the glowing surface. For a moment, she just stood there, wondering what to do. The panting of Grimm behind her made the decision for her, and she pressed the hologram, hoping that it was a door of some sort. Fortunately for her, the wall slid open, revealing a sterile, white hallway. Behind her, the Grimm noises grew louder, and she turned to see a group of Beowulves rounding the corner behind her.

Keeping her eyes fixed on the Grimm, she slowly backed away into the hallway, hoping that they wouldn't see her. However, just when she thought she would get in without alerting them, one of the Beowulves turned and spotted her, causing her to freeze up once more. For a second, unarmed huntress and Grimm stared at each other, but that moment soon passed, and the Beowulf charged, its pack following right behind it. Mary didn't waste any time as she quickly turned and ran down the hall. The Grimm pursued, but the door slammed shut before they could enter the hallway.

Sighing in relief, Mary leaned against the wall, listening to the Grimm trying and failing to break down the door. Then, after a few moments, the sounds disappeared, replaced by buzzing and the pained cries of dying Grimm. That caused her to freeze once more. Something else was in the cave with her, and whatever it was, it was more than capable of killing Grimm, and for all she knew, it would come for her next. However, regardless of what lay down there, Mary knew that she could only go deeper into the strange facility she found herself in.

After a few minutes of walking, she came to an intersection, three different doors presenting themselves to her, each with their own blue button. She eventually picked the door on the left, and pressed the button there. The door opened with a chime, and she gasped in shock.

Right in front of her were six flying metal machines. Their bodies were grayish-white, and each one stared at her with a single blue eye. Beneath the eye lay a pair of robotic arms, and the curved chassis clearly held some sort of weapon. However, instead of attacking, the machines simply floated past her, turning right and heading out the way she came. Once they were out of sight, Mary breathed another sigh of relief, before proceeding into the room, secure in the knowledge that whatever inhabited the facility was not yet hostile towards her. With that in mind, she took stock of her surroundings.

The room she had found herself in was mostly empty, although tucked away in the corner were a few glass-topped containers, one of which held a strange item suspended within. As Mary approached, she saw that it was some sort of rifle, with a long, split barrel and had a small scope on the top. In the center of the gun lay a glowing orange cylinder. Her curiosity getting the better of her, she touched it, and when no alarms blared, she picked it up and looked down the scope, noting how light the weapon was, despite its large size. Then, with a smile on her face, she decided to try test-firing it. Pointing it at the container she found it in, she pulled the trigger, and a bright orange beam struck the container, causing it to disintegrate in a burst of orange light, while the gun bucked slightly in her hands, its recoil disproportionately low.

Mary was shocked, to say the least. There was no technology she knew of that was able to do something like this, as not even the Atlas military had anything capable of completely disintegrating a solid metal target. She wondered who had made this and why they kept it secret. After all, this kind of technology would help massively in the fight against the Grimm, and would certainly make its inventor very rich. However, she soon dismissed that thought from her mind, and continued to test the weapon. After five shots, the orange cylinder popped out and clattered to the ground, vanishing in a burst of light, but several seconds later another such cylinder materialized where the old one had been. Evidently, that was the weapon's ammunition supply.

Then, Mary noticed a small button on the side of the weapon. Shrugging, she pressed it, believing it to be some sort of fire-rate selector, but instead of switching to full-auto mode, the weapon split down the middle, becoming a pair of gently curved falchions, each one bearing a bright orange edge. Giving the blades a few experimental swings to test their balance, Mary eventually brought them together, causing them to shift back into their rifle form. With a powerful weapon in hand, she proceeded into the next room, and gasped. The next room had to be some sort of armory, as hundreds, if not thousands, of similar grey and orange weapons lay within. She knew she couldn't carry all of them, but maybe there was something smaller that she could bring with her in addition to the rifle. She found that something in the form of a glowing orange crystal encased in blue energy that lay at the end of the room. Several of the machines from before were hovering around the cavernous room, but none so much as glanced her way.

With nothing better to do, Mary found and pressed a button at the base of the crystal's containment device, and grabbed the object, noting that the crystal, whatever it was, weighed next to nothing. It easily fit in her hand, but she didn't have very long to study the strange object, as a bright yellow beam flew over her head, narrowly missing her. Looking to its source, Mary saw that the strange machines, that had until then been ignoring her, had turned to face her. As she ran to the nearest source of cover, two more yellow beams flew at her, blackening the patches of wall they hit.

Peeking out from behind the weapon rack she had chosen to hide behind, Mary returned fire, striking one of the flying machines, causing it to explode in a small burst of blue light. The machine's companions returned fire, but they were clearly lacking in respect to intelligence, as none of them moved to flank her. The resulting firefight was short, and Mary quickly neutralized all threats within the room. Picking up the crystal, Mary exited the room, re-tracing her steps until she found herself back at the intersection. However, as she soon found out, the only door that would open for her was the one leading out of the facility. Resolving to one day return, Mary exited, soon reaching the door to the cavern proper. Pressing the button, she smiled as the door opened. The cavern itself was clear of Grimm, but she kept her eyes peeled as she made her way out, heading back the way she came. After several minutes of walking, she arrived at the cave entrance. Looking around, she saw that the area seemed clear of Grimm, and she exited. However, before she could take more than three steps, an all too familiar hiss caused her to spin around. There, right above the cave entrance, sat the Ancient Deathstalker, its tail still stained with the blood of her teammates. Three of the beast's eyes had been replaced with a bloody pit, courtesy of Zach, but the rest glared at her with undisguised hatred. It was a hatred that Mary returned as she raised her newfound weapon, taking aim for the gaping wound in the beast's head.

Her subsequent shot missed, bouncing off the creature's claw as it leaped towards her, leaving nothing but a black burn mark where it impacted. However, Mary's second shot, which was aimed for the creature's stinger, did not miss, and the Deathstalker roared in agony as its tail disintegrated. However, it was not out of the fight, and it lashed out at her with its claws, but Mary was ready. Splitting her weapon into blade form, she leaped forwards, sliding under the monster's strike, and drove both blades into the beast's wounded head. Letting go of the weapons, she leaped back, watching in satisfaction as the Deathstalker flailed around in pain, trying unsuccessfully to get the blades out of its eyes as the flesh around them disintegrated. The monster's death was neither swift nor painless, as its insides slowly disintegrated until nothing but an evaporating shell remained. Taking a moment to inspect her handiwork, Mary retrieved her weapons, fusing them back into rifle form.

"Stacy, Zach, Ryan... You are avenged. Rest in peace." She said as the last of the Grimm's carapace faded away. Checking to make sure the crystal was still with her, she turned and began to walk back to Solitude. It took her nearly two hours of searching before she finally managed to locate the town, the rain doing nothing to help her journey. By the time she made her way up to the gate, black spots were dancing across her vision. She collapsed right in front of the gate, barely having enough strength to say 'It's dead' to the man who came to retrieve her. She was unconscious by the time the townspeople carried her inside.

* * *

 **Generatedname owns probably half this chapter. Because everything you just read I have written one way or another, but** **Generatedname improved by putting it into his own words. He put in a lot of time to do this for me and for that I couldn't be more thankful, and I'm seriously amazed at how well he was able to reword this.** **Also I'm just saying it now the story doesn't follow Mary, it follows a different OC that you will meet in the next chapter, which I'm not sure when it will be released. And for anyone who didn't figure it out the weapon was a Binary Rifle. Hope you enjoyed the first chapter of my first story.**

 **Please review and tell me what you thought. I'll see you next time.**


	2. Chapter 2 - Start of the Great Journey

**A/N: Welcome to the second chapter of Remnants Reclamation! I'm happy with how this has gone so far. 416 views, 15 favs, and 16 followers, can't get much better then that for the first chapter of my first story.** **FYI John has no connection to Master Chief.**

 **Reviews:**

 **Guest: I'm not really sure how to respond to this review.**

 **Guest: Damn straight!**

 **Guest: Yes, eventually the UNSC will make an appearance in this fic, but not until WAY later. I'm talking near the end.**

 **Winstontheninja: And I hope to bring you more.**

 **Holyknight5: That was never my intention, but your review has actually given me an idea for the story, an idea which I will use.**

 **Guest: In a way. You'll have to read to find out exactly.**

 **TallYapflip: Thank you for the complements, but I'm afraid that the 'writing style' goes to Generatedname. And I agree, he is a great writer and his style is seriously amazing. I can only hope to be as good as him one day.**

 **Khorn Flakes: Thank you. And I hope that you like where I take this story.**

* * *

Remnants Reclamation

* * *

Unfortunately, Mary's story lacked its happy ending. After collapsing at the gates of Solitude, she was taken back to Vale via Bullhead and given medical treatment. However, her report on her findings was met with understandable skepticism. After all, the notion of a mysterious subterranean complex filled with hyper-advanced technology was simply too good to be true in the minds of the Vale Defense Force officers that debriefed her, and that particular bit of her report never made it to the ears of those who would have listened. Instead, Mary's reports were met with a psychological evaluation, which determined her to be suffering from PTSD, and deemed her reports of an underground complex to be nothing more than the products of an exhausted, traumatized mind.

However, the so-called proof she brought back was analyzed much the same, but rather than give weight to her tale, it did the opposite. The rifle's capabilities were theoretically in the realm of modern dust-weaponry, and the disintegration was explained by the fact that Mary had only used it on Grimm, which would disintegrate even if killed with a kitchen knife. As for the crystal, it was inert, making it seem as though it was little more than a shiny orange rock. Nonetheless, at Mary's behest, the team sent to recover the remains of her teammates performed a cursory search of Solitude's surroundings for said complex, but predictably, they turned up nothing.

Not even a month after that fateful assignment, Mary's career as a huntress had thus crumbled, as nobody was willing to hire a clearly delusional huntress when better alternatives were available to them. Her husband ended up being the sole supporter of her family, and what small amount of money she amassed was soon gone. Still, her financial situation did nothing to prevent her memories of the strange underground complex from lighting the spark of obsession in her mind. Three months after losing her team, that obsession caused her to leave home, with only a hastily written note left behind to state her intentions. She claimed that she would find that underground fortress once more, and return home with enough proof to vindicate herself. She vanished into the woods that day, never to return. She left behind a grieving husband, and a son, John, barely one year old.

* * *

 **15 years later**

With a cocky smirk, John dodged under the slow, telegraphed strike of his opponent, bringing his gun to bear once more at his overextended enemy. However, only one bullet exited the barrel, and it narrowly missed, the training round choosing to slam into the force field between training arena and spectator seating. However, the machine gun in John's hands did not fire again, as the barrel locked in place before it could return to its starting position, the cartridge within it stubbornly resisting ejection. With a barely audible click, the weapon jammed.

His opponent was quick to capitalize on the opportunity, and another strike from his weapon sent John sprawling to the ground. The match was called moments later.

John was sixteen now, blue eyes and black hair. Like all the students at Signal Academy, he was quite fit for his age. Today, he wore his usual blue T-shirt, navy blue sweater, and a pair of blue jeans, all of which were clearly cheap.

As a prospective Huntsman-in-training, John had fairly good grades, being particularly strong in Grimm studies, and was passing all his other classes save for one: Combat class. Of all the students at Signal, he was ranked as one of the lowest in terms of real-life combat prowess. It was clear though, that the main issue was his weapon, as he was at least passably skilled in most other aspects of fighting, but the poorly-made, cheap-quality relic of a Great-war-era weapon of his set him apart. Against people armed with custom-made mecha-shifting combination weapons, his old gun was pitiful in comparison. He knew he shouldn't complain, after all, his father had worked overtime simply to get enough money to afford that piece of junk, and the ammunition for it was so common that he could buy it for pocket change in most huntsman-oriented shops. Unfortunately, pocket change was all that John had, as otherwise he would have been able to afford the parts needed to design his own custom weapon. As it was, he had 'customized' the weapon by taping a large steak knife under the barrel for use as an impromptu bayonet.

David, John's opponent, stepped over his prone form, hammer in hand.

"Better luck next time, weakling." He said, a smug smile on his face as he left the arena, being sure to 'accidentally' stomp on his opponent's hand as he did so.

John clambered to his feet shortly afterwards, cradling his hand as he glared hatefully at David's back. The bigger boy had been bullying him ever since he had entered Signal, as while he was slow and unskilled, being only a few ranks above John in the Signal Academy combat leaderboard, he was nonetheless the kind of person who thought he was better then everyone else, and enjoyed bullying those weaker than himself to make up for his inadequacy. John was far from his only victim, but he was his favorite, thanks to John's status as the 'poor' kid in school, whose crappy weapon made him an easy target in combat class.

Picking up his weapon from where it had been knocked aside, John left the arena, sitting down in a relatively isolated section of the stands, watching as David's small group of cronies congratulated the boy on his win. There was nobody there to console him though, as nobody wanted to be friends with the poor kid with the crazy mother. After all, doing so would make them David's targets, and while the bully was far from the strongest in combat class, those who were stronger than him generally considered the lower echelons of the academy leaderboard as being beneath their notice, while those weaker just wanted to avoid his attention.

* * *

Combat class was soon over, with Yang Xiao Long predictably knocking her opponent out with her first few strikes, to the surprise of absolutely no-one. After all, the blonde bombshell was among the highest ranked students in the school, and her opponent was merely a mid-ranked swordsman with a bowl cut, named Dove something or other.

The rest of his classes went by quickly, and he soon found himself in the locker room, quickly grabbing his belongings. However, just as he closed the door, a familiar someone greeted him with a shove from behind, causing him to slam painfully into the metal wall. He turned around to see David looking at him, a smug smile on his face.

"What's up weakling?" The bigger boy greeted playfully.

"What do you want, David?" John replied angrily.

"Well, I just wanted to know what you're still doing here. Why is a weakling like you is training to become a hunter? I mean, I don't think you've ever finished a fight without that crap gun of yours jamming, and your dirt-poor daddy will never be able to get you a better one, so why do you even bother?" David asked.

"I'm training to be a hunter to keep humanity safe from the Grimm... And scumbags like you, who hurt others just because they want to. Your kind should just feed yourselves to the Grimm and save us all the trouble." John gave his reply as he stood back up, leaning against the locker for support. David's response was to grab and twist his arm behind his back, causing pain to shoot through the limb.

"Scumbag, huh? I'm gonna make you eat those words, weakling!" The bully growled, as John groaned in response.

"Hey! Let him go!" A cry from behind him caused David to release his victim, who fell to the ground, clutching his arm. Looking up, John saw that his savior was a small, fifteen year old girl, wearing a red cloak, its hood pulled back, revealing black hair with dark red highlights.

"What? We were just joking around. Right John? Tell the little kid that we were just joking around like old friends." David said, although as he turned to face the girl John caught a small flicker of fear across his face. Did he know that girl from somewhere?

"Just get out of here David." Was John's weak reply.

"Whatever you say." David said, before walking out of the locker room, moving a just little too quickly to seem casual. The red hooded girl glared at him until he was out of sight, before walking over to John, who was still on the floor, holding his bruised arm.

"Hey, are you alright?" She asked, offering her hand.

"Yeah. Thanks." John said, accepting the offered hand while trying to hide his embarrassment at being saved by a girl a year younger then him.

"No problem. Are you sure you're all right? Your arm doesn't look too good." The girl replied. Looking down at his arm, John saw that she was right. The area David had squeezed was an ugly purple, and his aura, depleted as it was, would require a few hours before it could even start the healing process.

"Yeah, I'm fine. So... What's your name?" John asked, trying to appear tough.

"Ruby, Ruby Rose. What about you?" The girl, Ruby, asked.

"John Midori. Nice to Meet you Ruby." John replied, putting his best friendly smile on his face, although a twinge of pain from his arm turned it into more of a grimace.

"Nice to meet you too! So.. What was all that about?" Ruby asked as John picked up his bag, which had fallen to the ground during the altercation.

"It's just David being David. He's just a scumbag who likes to hurt other people to feel good about himself. I just said it to his face." John said in reply.

"Oh... Well, I've got to go home now! Do you want to come with me?" Ruby asked, smiling.

"What? No, I'm afraid I have to get to the air-pad. I've got a part-time job to work back in Vale proper." John replied.

"Alright! I'll come with you!" Ruby replied, smiling.

"What? But I'm going all the way across Vale!"

"Not to your job, just to the air-pad, silly!" Ruby replied with a slight giggle.

"Well... Alright." With those words, John set off, Ruby following right behind him.

"Say, Ruby? Why are you following me?" John asked after a few minutes of walking.

"Well... It looked like you needed a friend, and my sister's always telling me about how I need to make more friends and come out of my shell!" Ruby chirped in response.

"Sister?"

"Yeah! Yang's the best sister I could ever ask for!"

"Wait, Yang is your sister?" John asked incredulously.

"Yeah!"

"Now I know why David was in such a hurry to get out of there..." John muttered to himself. The blonde had put him through a wall several months before, when he suggested that cutting her hair would make her look better. The boy had a healthy fear of the girl ever since.

"What was that?" Ruby asked, not hearing him.

"Nothing!" John replied.

They walked together for a few minutes, before John spoke up again.

"Say, Ruby, Are you graduating Signal with the rest of us next week?" John asked, curious. It wasn't unheard of for younger kids to sometimes be fast-tracked through Signal if they were good enough, although it was an admittedly rare occasion.

"Nah, I still have two more years at Signal, which sucks because my sister is going to Beacon this year, and I really want to go with her!" Ruby answered, a slightly sad look on her face..

"Hey, don't look so down! It's only two years, I'm sure the time will fly by before you know it!" John replied, nudging the younger girl.

"I hope you're right. I can't wait to show everyone what I can do!" Ruby replied, smiling.

"So... What can you do?" John asked.

"Oh! I can move, like, super fast! My semblance is speed, after all! Plus, I have my sweetheart Crescent Rose! She is the best weapon ever!" Ruby exclaimed, bringing out a red and black object. Flicking a switch, the object unfolded into a massive scythe, the weapon clearly taller than its wielder.

"Holy crap! That thing's huge! It looks like it can cut an Ursa in half, no problem!" John exclaimed as he beheld the enormous instrument of death.

"Yup, and it's also a customizable, high-impact sniper rifle." Ruby added, pointing to the stubby muzzle that just barely protruded from the weapon's long shaft.

"That's awesome... It seems really complicated though..." John replied, temporarily at a loss for words.

"Yeah, I might have gone a little overboard when designing it." Ruby replied, a sheepish expression on her face.

"You made it? That's amazing!" John exclaimed.

"Thanks. So what about you?" Ruby asked, collapsing her weapon back into its compact form.

"Well, my semblance is what I like to call backstep, which means I can go back to any position I was previously in, provided that I was there within five seconds of activating it." John explained, before pulling out his own weapon, the worn, hastily assembled black gunmetal contrasting sharply with the high-quality crimson steel of Crescent Rose.

"And as for my weapon... This is it. It's an MF-Chauchat with a bayonet." He said, somewhat embarrased.

"Where's the bayonet?" Ruby asked, gesturing towards the weapon's barrel.

"The tape came off, and I didn't have time to put it back. I've got it in my bag somewhere." John replied.

"Oh..." Ruby trailed off. The awkward pause lasted for a few moments before she spoke up again.

"Why are you using it? I mean, from what I've heard, that thing jams all the time, and its not at all balanced for melee, even with a bayonet!"

"Believe me, I know all about the jamming. Sometimes, it happens after only one shot, and every time, it's a pain to clear. Unfortunately, it's the only weapon I could get my hands on." John replied.

"Oh... Sorry." Ruby said, looking down.

"It's alright, you didn't know. Besides, if the guy who sold it to me was telling the truth, this thing has a history behind it! I heard that it saw action during the Great War and the Atlas Coup." John said, stowing the old gun away.

"That's so cool! Is it really still working after all these years?" Ruby asked.

"Well, yeah. It works about as well as it always did." John replied.

The rest of the trip to the air pad was filled with small talk, ranging from weapons, to semblances, to favorite desserts. However, it all came to an end as they reached their destination, and John quickly said his farewells as he boarded the airbus. The door slammed shut as the aircraft ascended into the air, leaving him alone with a few other strangers commuting from Patch to Vale Proper. However, the smile on his face did not fade for a few hours yet, and it was still there when he finally made it home, several lien richer.

* * *

"I'm home!" It was dark out by the time John's father, Gordon Midori, came home from his job. Leaping up from his bed, John ran over to his father, greeting him as soon as he entered their small apartment.

"Hey son! So how was school?" Gordon asked, a jovial smile on his bearded face as he embraced his son, before going to sit down at the kitchen table.

"About the same as usual. Gun jammed in combat, and I lost." John replied, taking a seat at the table across from his dad. It was a sort of family tradition that, at the end of each day, once they had both come back home, they would talk about what happened to them during the day.

"Oh. Anything else?"

"Yeah, actually! I made a new friend today." John exclaimed, smiling again.

"Really now? How'd you meet him?" Gordon asked. For a moment, John hesitated, not wanting to tell his father about the incident with David, but ultimately decided against it.

"Well... I was getting my stuff from the locker room when some guy started teasing me about my weapon. That's when Ruby came in and stopped him, and we ended up befriending each other." He explained.

"Someone was bullying you?" Ever perceptive, Gordon addressed his concern.

"No, no, it was just harmless teasing!" John said, shifting his bruised arm to make it less visible, an action that was quickly noticed by his father..

"Show me your arm." Gordon ordered. John froze for a moment, before sighing and laying his arm on the table. His dad walked over, rolled up his sleeve, and gently prodded the bruised flesh, John's aura having barely started the healing process.

"This doesn't look all that harmless to me." John's father stated the obvious.

"Dad, really, it's fine. It's just one more week until Beacon and then everything will be better." Gordon shook his head at that. For a moment, the older man was quiet, before he sighed, and stood up.

"Wait here." He said as he exited the room. A few minutes passed, before he returned, a large metal case in one hand, and a glowing orange crystal in the other.

"Tell me, son, what do you know about your mother?" Gordon asked. John hesitated, unsure of how to answer. His mother was rarely spoken about in the house, as whenever John brought up the topic his father would almost always become evasive, and attempt to change the subject.

"Well, you told me she was a great huntress, but one day she went out on a mission that took the lives of all her teammates. However, she managed to survive because she found an underground building of some kind, with some very strong weapons inside. These weapons saved her life, and she brought some of them back as proof. However, everyone thought she was crazy, so she left and never came back." John replied, repeating what little information his father had told him.

"That's all true. For a while, even I thought she had gone mad... I think that was what broke her..." John's dad trailed off, his eyes gaining a distant look to them.

"However, as time passed, I thought the better of it. After all, she had brought back proof." He said, opening the case to reveal a dull grey weapon within.

"This is the weapon that saved her life," He said, before gesturing towards the crystal, which glowed with an eerie orange light, "... While this is some kind of artifact that she brought back as proof."

"Then why did nobody believe her?" John asked, unable to take his eyes off the weapon.

"A variety of reasons, but that is not important right now. What's important is this." His father replied, gesturing towards the crystal.

"What do you mean?"

"Ever since your mother came back, that crystal was completely inert. However, just this morning, I noticed it glowing, as you can see here. While it still did nothing when I interacted with it, it has had a noticeable effect on this here rifle." Gordon explained, gesturing at the gun.

"When you needed a weapon for Signal Academy, the first thing I did was take this gun out to a local firing range, to see if it still worked. It didn't. Just like the crystal, the gun was inert in my hands. However, this morning, I took that gun with me again, out of curiosity. After all, I thought that if the crystal had reactivated, then maybe the gun did as well. I was correct." As his father spoke, John took a closer look at the gun, and noticed an orange glow emanating from its inner workings.

"So, what does that mean?" He asked.

"It means that this gun is now yours, as is the crystal." His father replied.

"Wait, what? Why?" John asked, looking at his father in surprised shock.

"Because you can't keep going to school with a weapon that jams up every time you use it, not to mention that I believe that this is what your mother would have wanted. When she left, she did not take this with her. I believe that this was because she herself believed she would not return, and chose to entrust this item to you. Now that I know I'm not just handing you a useless lump of metal, I believe it is time for you to take it. It's yours now, so use it well."

His father's words ringing in his ears, John reached into the case and gently removed the weapon, keeping what he thought to be the barrel pointed away from anything important.

"So, what are you going to call it?" John's father asked as he watched his son look down the gun's scope, clearly in awe of what he saw.

"I don't know yet, but I'll think about it!" John replied enthusiastically as he lowered the weapon.

"Alright. Now, I know it's late, but just this once I'm going to let you out of the house to go to the firing range while I make dinner. Have fun, but be sure to be back at a reasonable time!" Gordon said as he stood up from the table, heading to the kitchen.

For a moment, John just stood there, clutching the gun in his hands, before an elated smile split his face, and he ran out the door.

* * *

It was almost midnight by the time John returned home, smile still plastered firmly on his face. He had spent several hours at the firing range, which, thanks to his status as a Signal Academy student, had let him in for free. It was love at first shot, as he watched the target dummy disintegrate in a burst of orange light. That had given him a pleasant surprise, and it was this disintegrating property that had led him to name the weapon Atomizer. He had also found out through experimentation that it could split into a pair of falchions, their blades edged with the same disintegrating orange energy that composed its shots. Finally, ammunition never seemed to be a problem for the gun, as no matter how many times he had blown through what he thought was a five shot magazine, the weapon always seemed to refill its supply of power in exactly six seconds. The weapon's accuracy was nothing to scoff at either, with each shot being precisely on target, with barely any recoil. However, therein lay the problem. While his mother may have been a sniper, John was used to a machine gun, that, when it did not jam, bucked and kicked in his grip, while spraying metal death in the general direction of the target. However, he knew that what he held in his hands was leagues ahead of what he was used to, so he resolved to learn the ins and outs of his new weapon by the time he graduated. By the time he left the firing range, he was able to reliably hit a stationary target at the maximum range allowed in the shooting gallery, or approximately one hundred meters.

Opening the door to his apartment, he saw his dad asleep on the couch, the TV still on in front of him, bathing the dark room in an eerie blue light. Grabbing the remote, he quickly turned it off, before navigating his way to the light switch. He quickly saw and ate the meal that his dad left on the table for him, before heading off to his room. Leaning Atomizer against the wall, he turned to see the mysterious crystal from earlier on his bed. Back when he had first received his early graduation present, he had overlooked the strange object in favor of the, quite frankly, amazing weapon that he had also been given, but now that he was alone, he decided to inspect the strange crystal as well.

Picking it up, John looked at it up close, trying to find some sort of clue as to the device's function. However, the crystal seemed to have no such thing. As he turned it around in his hands, he thought he saw it brighten. A few seconds later, those thoughts turned into truth as he realized that the crystal was, in fact, glowing brighter and brighter with each passing moment. As the light went from dim, to bright, to blinding, he threw the device away, covering his eyes as he did so. The action caused a sharp, burning pain to lance through his chest, the sensation growing until it felt like someone had ran him through with one of Atomizer's falchions. However, moments later, the pain vanished as quickly as it had appeared, leaving pleasant normality in its wake. Likewise, the glow from the crystal faded until only the pitch-black darkness spreading across his sight remained. The last thing he saw before lapsing into unconsciousness was the crystal dissolving into a stream of white particles, before shooting straight at him.

* * *

John woke up on the floor, still somewhat dazed by the events of the night before. Looking up at the clock, he saw that he still had an hour before he normally had to get up for school, so he clambered back into his bed, his mind still fixed on the events of the night before. Unable to go back to sleep, he stood and headed to the bathroom, where he woke himself up fully by splashing water on his face. Then, as he looked into the mirror, he gasped. His eyes, which were once blue, were now an all too familiar shade of orange, although as he looked closer, he could see just the tiniest trace of the old blue around the edge of his iris, as if the orange was merely some sort of contact lens. The sight of that orange color dispelled the haze over his memories, and he remembered the strange, glowing crystal, the pain, and what happened afterward. However, he had no idea as to what the strange device had done to him.

However, John mused, that was a problem for another time, as aside from his eye coloration, nothing else seemed out of the ordinary. With those thoughts in mind, John left the bathroom and got dressed for the day. His clothes were the same as always, the crystal having done nothing to change his wardrobe. Quickly grabbing Atomizer from where it was leaned against the wall, he headed out to the kitchen, and quickly scrambled and ate some eggs for breakfast.

It was as he was eating that his father came out of his room, and it wasn't long before the man noticed John's change in eye color. It was an awkward conversation, to say the least, as 'I poked the crystal and it went poof and changed my eyes' was a rather strange truth. However, the conversation was cut short by a glance at the clock, as John saw that it was about time for him to leave for school.

With a quick 'Seeyadadgottago', John ran out the door, before bolting back in moments to grab Atomizer, then running back out again.

* * *

Once John arrived at Signal, he felt a change almost immediately. Where before, the other people in the locker room would either ignore him or just give him a single, dismissive glance, he now saw almost everyone staring in curiosity, although the stares weren't aimed so much at him as at his new weapon. It was a good feeling, to finally have something that could potentially inspire jealousy in others, and it was with a smile that he went about his daily business. Eventually, it was time for Combat class. However, instead of the usual resigned dread, John felt only anticipation, as he wanted to finally try out Atomizer in actual combat.

He was scheduled for the fifteenth match of the day, so he sat in the stands until his time finally came. As he stood to go get ready, he saw David getting up from his seat across the room, a cocky smirk on his face as he looked around for his opponent. It seemed that today would be another rematch between them, meaning that John would finally have an opportunity to even the scores.

David was the first to enter the small sparring ring, and made a show of waiting impatiently for John to show up, doubtlessly expecting another easy win. The sight of Atomizer caused him to raise an eyebrow, but his expression remained unfazed as he smirked once more.

"Prepare to get creamed, weakling!" He taunted as usual.

"Not today." John replied, as he always did, but this time there was steel behind those words.

"3... 2... 1... Begin!"

With those words, John dropped to his knee and fired, the orange beam from Atomizer instantly crossing the small distance between muzzle and target, impacting before its target could even attempt to dodge. Less than five seconds into the match, and David's aura was already down fourteen percent, much to the surprise of the watching students.

David took a moment to look up at the scoreboard, surprised by the power of the hit. As he did so, John smiled, and fired again, scoring another hit. At this distance, his relatively limited experience with Atomizer didn't matter, as with the lack of recoil, it was almost impossible to miss. Enraged by the second hit, David charged, ignoring the three subsequent hits his aura absorbed. However, with all five shots spent, John knew that he wouldn't be able to fire again before David reached him, so with the press of a button, he split the weapon into its melee form. David's downward strike was met with a pair of crossed falchions, halting the boy's hammer mere inches away from John's head.

Smiling up at David, John casually removed one of the falchions from the crossed block, while David promptly redoubled his efforts to overpower John's guard. Had David been thinking tactically, he would have removed his hammer and struck again, attempting to move around John's guard, but as it was, David simply leaned forward, attempting to overpower John by placing all his weight on his weapon. That meant that when John's second falchion struck at his knees, it swept the bigger boy's feet out from under him. The buzzer sounded as David tumbled to the ground, signalling the end of the match by aura depletion.

Getting to his feet, John bowed theatrically to the silent crowd, before turning and walking out of the arena, ignoring David's hateful glare. The smile that was on his face since the start of the day had only gotten wider with his victory. It had been a while since he had beaten someone in combat, and his first ever victory over David would almost certainly mean overtaking the bully on the leaderboard, given how close together they were.

"Nice weapon. Mind telling me where you got it?" David's voice snapped him out of his thoughts of success.

"I made it, obviously. Everyone at Signal makes their own weapons." John replied, stowing Atomizer away. David chuckled darkly at that, and stepped closer.

"You? Make that thing? Puh-leaze, you can't even properly tape a kitchen knife to a museum piece, much less make something like that! Here's what I think: I think you stole it." David said, looming over John, who was now beginning to regret putting his weapon down.

"That's great. But I don't remember ever caring about what you think." John replied. David growled, and faster than John could blink, the bully's hand was around his throat. Of course, John's aura, which was completely unscathed during the match, came to the rescue, preventing any significant choking by keeping his airway and arteries open, but it was painful nonetheless.

"You think you're so tough, don't you? You think you're hot stuff just because you got lucky in that match, embarrassing me in front of everyone like that? I'm gonna make you pay, Johnny, because no matter how lucky you are, you're still just a pathetic little weakling, and I will enjoy putting you in your place..." David's eyes slowly looked down, coming to rest on Atomizer's form down in John's locker.

"But first, I think I should do my part as a future huntsman, and return some stolen property. I'll be taking that." He said, causing John to grit his teeth in pure, impotent rage. For all his bluster, David was strong, and he was much better than John at unarmed combat, meaning that he was easily able to repel John's feeble attempts to remove his hand from his throat.

"There's no red-hooded bitch to save you now, Johnny, so how about you make this easy on yourself. Say you're sorry for stealing this weapon, and admit to the teacher back there that you cheated in that match against me. Better yet, just get out of Signal. After all, there's no way that a runt like you is ever going to make his way into Beacon." David said, obviously enjoying himself. John snapped at that.

"GET AWAY FROM ME YOU SON OF A BITCH!" John screamed, trying with all his might to get the hand off his throat. Unbeknownst to him, his eyes blazed with orange light, the unsettling sight being enough to loosen David's grip. Moments later, there was a flash of white light, which quickly coalesced into the shape of a strange, four-legged animal. The glowing shape became tangible moments later, becoming a strange, metal animal. It resembled a dog, if a dog was made out of metal and covered in glowing orange lines. Its head had a pair of horns on it, and where a normal dog would have a snout, the strange metal beast had a pair of large, glowing, ant-like pincers. On its back were spines, which glowed a familiar orange at the tips.

The appearance of the strange metal thing was enough to make David back away, all thoughts of stealing John's property forgotten. The beast snarled in response, and crept towards the bully, hackles raised, and punctuating its growls with the occasional hiss. Then, the strange metal hound leaped towards its quarry, going straight for the the boy's throat, wrapping its glowing pincers around his neck, while raking its claws along the boy's face and chest. David screamed as he desperately tried to get the monster off of him, but to no avail. Both boys knew that David's aura was already severely depleted from the sparring match, and that it could crumble away at any moment, leaving him at the metal beast's tender lack of mercy. Therefore John, who, as much as he hated David's guts, didn't want to kill the boy, decided that he might as well try and save the bully's sorry ass.

"No! Stop! Get off him!" John said in his best dog tamer's voice as he ran over, intending to try and pull the creature off his humiliated nemesis. Surprisingly, the creature listened, and backed off, releasing David, who promptly turned and ran out, leaving a foul but familiar stink behind him. For a moment, John couldn't think of why the scent was so familiar, before it hit him. He laughed, and considered it fortunate that David had been wearing his brown pants that day. Then, his eyes came to rest on the dog, that was currently sitting on the floor, staring up at him.

"Uh... Hi?" John said, after a short pause. The dog huffed at that. Tentatively, John approached the creature, keeping an eye out for some sort of reaction. When none came, he knelt down beside it, and reached behind its strange horns to pat its head. Despite its head being made of metal, the dog clearly felt something, as it leaned in towards his touch, making some sort of purring noise. John laughed at that.

"What are you, I wonder?" John said to himself as the dog-like creature continued to purr.

"Can you understand me?" John asked after a few moments. The orange lights that took the place of the creature's 'eyes' blinked open, and it nodded its head once, before resuming its purring.

"Can you talk?" John asked. The creature shook its head.

"Alright... Ok, so, given how you appeared just now, and aren't trying to kill me, I'm guessing you belong to me." The creature nodded.

"And that your appearance has something do do with that crystal?" Another nod.

"Okay..." John was quiet for a minute, before speaking up again.

"So, what am I going to do with you now?" He asked himself. The creature simply nudged his hand in response, before leaning its head in, as if requesting to be pet some more. John laughed, and obliged the strange creature. He thought for a moment, before deciding to do the easy thing and just take the strange creature home with him. Quickly grabbing Atomizer from his locker, he grabbed his bag beneath it, ordering the strange creature to get inside it, before heading out, stopping quickly by the school office to call in sick. Fortunately for him, he happened to be friends with the school nurse, courtesy of having so many trips to her office, and she quickly signed him out, allowing him to leave Signal early.

Fortunately, he didn't have to wait long before an airbus arrived, and he soon left Patch behind. He arrived home after a short walk, and after closing the door, he let the dog-thing out of his bag. It gave him a disgruntled snort, before trotting away, exploring its surroundings as John called in sick at his part-time job. After that, he sat down on the couch, leaning his weapon against it. A few minutes later, the creature trotted up and leaped onto the couch, curling up beside him. For a moment, John was silent, unsure of what to do. Finally, he spoke.

"So... Are you hungry? Thirsty?" The creature shook its head.

"What was I thinking, of course you're not. You're some kind of robot. Do you even need to eat or drink?" The creature shook its head again.

"I see... Do you have a name?" Another shake.

"No name, huh? I guess I'll give you one. What do you think about that?" The creature nodded.

"Alright... Hmm, what about... Gustav?" Shake.

"Fluffy?" Another shake.

"Tiddles?" A vigorous shake, and a growl.

"Don't worry, I was just kidding..." John thought for a while, before making his next suggestion.

"What about... Aries? After the Mistralian general from the Great War?" The creature was silent, tilting its head for a moment, as if in consideration, before nodding.

"Alright, Aries it is!" The newly named creature just stared up at that.

"Alright, well, I'm going to go out to the shooting range for a bit. Gotta practice with Atomizer, after all! You can come with me, if you want. Just don't draw too much attention." John said as he stood up from the couch, grabbed his weapon, and headed out the back door, as Aries leaped up and followed right behind him. After a short walk, he arrived at his destination.

'Huntsmen and Trainees get in free!' The sign above the entrance proclaimed. John entered, and after a quick flash of his Signal Student ID, he was allowed in, although the clerk did ask him a few questions, namely why he wasn't at school. John replied that he was feeling sick, and the man just nodded slowly, before allowing him into the range proper. At this time of day, the range was mostly quiet, with its usual patrons being at work. Of course, the sound of gunfire meant that there was indeed someone there. However, that was unimportant to John, who quickly found an empty practice range, and programmed his targets in. Five small, bottle-shaped targets promptly popped up one hundred meters away, at the far end of the range. Taking aim, John opened fire. The first two bottles disintegrated moments later, as two closely-spaced shots hit them just off-center. However, before he could shoot the third, he heard a noise behind him, and saw several orange orbs fly through his field of vision, slamming into the third target. Looking around, he saw Aries looking expectantly at him.

"What just happened?" John asked. In response, Aries trotted up to the front of the shooting gallery. Opening its mouth, the small, canine robot fired two more of those strange orange orbs, destroying the fourth bottle. Target eliminated, Aries turned back to face his owner, somehow managing to look expectant despite its blank, metal face. John's reaction, meanwhile, was nothing short of amazement. Whatever Aries was, he clearly was designed for combat. Not knowing what else to do, John spoke up once more.

"Okay... Uh... Shoot that last target!" John ordered, and Aries obliged, firing another burst of orange orbs at the bottle-shaped target. One missed, but the other two hit the mark, the bottle disintegrating in that same burst of orange light.

"Cool... Wierd, but cool. Is there anything else you can do?" John asked, absentmindedly scratching his new pet behind its horns. He didn't know what to expect. Maybe Aries would glow brightly, or just run at ridiculous speed, but whatever it was, John most certainly did not foresee nineteen other metal dogs, all of which were nearly identical to Aries, to appear in a flash of white light. He also did not anticipate the immense feeling of weakness that shot through him a moment later. It was a familiar feeling, and his scroll beeping only served to confirm his suspicion. Whatever Aries had just done, his aura was now critically depleted, to the point where all its power was being drained just to keep his body functioning properly. Had he been in combat, the act of summoning nineteen more Aries-clones would have rendered him completely vulnerable.

As he fell to his knees, Aries ran over to him, a concerned growl emanating from... wherever it made its noises. Its brethren, however, simply stood where they were summoned, completely still.

"Don't worry, I'm alright. It's just aura depletion, I'll recover... Don't do that again though... Wait, you did this, right?" John said as he caught his breath. Aries nodded after a moment.

"So, you can summon other things like you?" Aries paused, then shook its head, before nudging John's arm.

"Wait, you mean I'm the one who summoned them?" John asked, looking over the summoned Aries-clones, that continued to stand completely motionless, not making any sound. Aries nodded at that.

"I see... Well, it looks like summoning you guys drains my aura... Say, what are you guys anyway? Are you like some kind of new semblance-thing?" Aries paused for a moment, before the orange lines on its head glowed brighter for a short moment.

'Crawlers.' The single word echoed faintly through John's mind, barely louder than a whisper.

"Crawlers? Is that what you guys are?" John asked. Aries nodded in response, the lines on its head dimming back to normal. Absentmindedly, John noted that his scroll was still beeping, alerting him of his aura depletion. He placed it back in his pocket and stood up, groaning as he did so. Looking at the other crawlers again, he noticed that they were not the same as Aries. The most obvious difference was that, instead of Aries' blue-white coloration, the other crawlers were a dull grey, although they all were covered in the same glowing orange lines. In addition, while some crawlers had the same physical features as Aries, others lacked his horns, and instead of spines on their backs, some had some sort of smaller protrusions, while others had nothing on their backs at all. However, their behavior was what truly seemed to set them apart from Aries. After all, Aries, while he was still clearly robotic, seemed to act like a very intelligent dog. The other crawlers, on the other hand, just stood there, occasionally moving their heads as if scanning their surroundings, and when John tried to get a reaction out of them, they just stared blankly at him for a few moments, before resuming their previous behavior. Where Aries' eyes seemed to glimmer with an unusual intelligence, these other crawlers just seemed like stupid automatons, built to follow orders and nothing more.

"So... Are these other crawlers like you?" John asked. Aries paused for a moment, before performing a strange series of moves that seemed to alternate between shaking and nodding its head.

"So yes and no. Alright, so will they listen to me?" Aries nodded at that. Deciding to test that theory, John ran the new Crawlers through a series of tests, trying to find the limit of his authority over them. They responded to his every command, although they seemed to have trouble interpreting vague orders. For example, when he ordered them to 'shoot the target' after re-setting the firing range, they all opened fire on different targets. However, when he repeated the order while pointing at a specific target, they all opened fire on the specified bottle.

However, as John continued to test the other crawlers, he realized that he had a dilemma. Aries was one thing, but nineteen others like him? That would be much more difficult to hide! In addition, his scroll was still beeping, despite the fact that his combat aura reserves should have regenerated to the point where, while he would be nowhere near combat ready, he would be above the level of critical depletion. That, more than anything, caused him to panic. If his aura was not regenerating, then that must mean that it was being used up in its entirety to support the crawler horde! Aries promptly ran up to him, as if sensing his mounting panic. The intelligent crawler growled quizzically, as if asking what was wrong.

"Oh, I'm just wondering where I'm going to put you all. I mean, you I can explain, but the others? Not to mention that it appears as though all my aura is being used to power you guys, since it's clearly not regenerating. That... That is very bad." John said, rubbing his forehead.

As if in response, he felt a surge of energy go through him, and all the Crawlers, Aries included, were gone. Several seconds later, his scroll stopped beeping, meaning that his aura was now regenerating at a healthy rate. However, his mind was more focused on the disappearance of the crawlers.

"Aries? Where did you go?" He asked aloud, giving voice to his thoughts. Just then, he felt the now-familiar rush of energy again, and in a flash of bright light, Aries appeared. Smiling at the appearance of his new companion, John patted the intelligent Crawler on the head.

"Hello again boy! Don't scare me like that! I thought you were gone for good!" Aries snorted at that, as if scoffing at the notion.

As the day went by, John continued to test the limits of his power, and once his aura was back at a healthy level, he had tried to summon additional crawlers on his own. Through trial and error, he had determined that, with his current aura reserves, he could summon exactly twenty crawlers, although by doing so he would leave himself completely unprotected on the battlefield. In addition, he found out that Aries was able to exert some modicum of control over the crawlers as well, meaning that he didn't have to personally micro-manage them all the time. Eventually, he finally decided to call it a day, and headed back home, the sun already setting overhead.

His home was still empty when he returned, although his father came back about an hour later. Aries evidently thought the man was an intruder, and John barely managed to restrain the over-eager crawler from attacking. Unsurprisingly, John's father was, at first, understandably leery about letting Aries stay, but John was quickly able to convince him to the contrary, with Gordon eventually thanking Aries for protecting his son from David. Eventually, the conversation became a lecture about the responsibilities of owning a pet. Eventually, the matter was sorted out, and after a quick dinner it was time for bed. Changing into his sleepwear, John crawled into bed, Aries jumping in alongside him. John smiled at that. For all his robotic qualities, Aries really did act like a dog.

"Good night, Aries." John whispered, before flicking off the light.

* * *

John's last week at Signal passed by in a blur of activity. After the incident in the locker room, David had steered clear of his old victim, and his better equipment had given him the edge he needed in the sparring ring. In between victories and defeats in the sparring ring, the latter of which now happened far less often, John was studying for the Beacon entrance exam. To keep students from cheating, the details of said exam were kept secret. All John knew was that it involved combat, and was extremely difficult, to the point where over ninety percent of applicants were rejected. As for the Crawlers, John had elected to keep them a secret for now, as while a weapon could be explained away, a pack of metal dogs was an entirely different matter. However, when at home, he spent much of his time with Aries, who rapidly became the dog he always wanted, but could never afford.

Graduation day came all too soon, and John walked out of Signal Academy for the last time with his head held high. For once, his father was waiting for him, along with many other parents, just outside of the school. The graduation party was a wild affair. He didn't know whether it was a parent or a student that smuggled in alcohol, but it was clear that it somehow ended up in the punch bowl. John thought he saw Professor Qrow pour something in, but that couldn't have been right, could it?

Upon getting home, a second, smaller party began, as John was greeted at the door by an over-enthusiastic Aries. Evidently, the Crawler had been sitting in ambush ever since its owner had left. As the heavy, metal hound knocked its owner to the floor with affectionate growls and nudges, John's dad simply laughed.

"He really does like you, doesn't he?" He commented as John stood up. Aries had been very quick to integrate himself into the Midori family household. The fact that he didn't have to eat or drink, plus the lack of messes associated with an ordinary dog, made him the very definition of ideal pet. The energy cannon in his mouth only added to his novelty.

"That he does. I think it's because I'm the only one who ever lets him out of the apartment. He really doesn't like to be cooped up in here." John replied.

"What makes you think that?" Gordon asked.

"Well, for all his quirks, Aries does act like a normal dog almost all the time. Isn't wanting to be outside normal for a dog?" John replied, before continuing.

"That's true. You know, I would have given anything for a pet like him when I was a kid." His father said as he sat down on the couch. John sat down beside him moments later, and Aries completed the picture by jumping onto the couch himself, before laying his head in John's lap. He stroked it absentmindedly, causing the crawler to growl softly.

"So, are you nervous about the Beacon Entrance Exam you've got coming up tomorrow?" His father asked.

"Yup. Still don't know anything about what I'm gonna have to do though, but I'm sure that I'll figure it out!" John replied.

"I'm sure you will. Now that you've got the gear to match your skill, I'm sure you'll be fine. After all, I believe you managed to set a school record for 'most improved' over the past week."

"It wasn't that hard, I mean, I only managed to place in the top thirty. There were plenty of people still ahead of me." John replied, modestly.

"True, but you used to be in the bottom three hundred. I'm sure you'll ace this exam." His father said.

"Plus, you've got Aries to help you. I mean, you are planning on taking him to Beacon with you, right?"

"That I am. I'm sure he'll be very excited to finally go somewhere new, isn't that right Aries? If anyone asks, I'll just say that he's a part of my semblance." John replied, Aries growling his assent.

"I suppose so... I suppose you're still going with your regular cover story for Atomizer?" John nodded at that.

"Yup. Everyone at Signal makes their own weapon, so I'll just say I made it as well." John replied.

"Good... Just please, remember to be careful with the truth. I don't want your teammates to start thinking that you're crazy. However, if you truly trust someone, feel free to tell them the real story." John nodded at that.

"I know, I know, don't worry. I'll be careful." He said in reply.

"Good. Now, how does some supper sound?" Johns dad said as he stood up, heading to the kitchen.

"Sounds good to me!" John replied, following his father. Behind him, Aries watched him go, before following his owner, keeping his eyes on him.

 **Elsewhere...**

The small chamber was lit only by the glow of holographic screens, and was occupied by a single floating, silver orb. Its golden eye watched one of the screens with interest, looking on as the video of the young Reclaimer male continued to play, recorded through the eyes of the crawler assigned to him.

"Be careful, young Reclaimer, for your great journey has only just begun." The ball spoke, before turning away, and floating out of the room.

* * *

 **A/N: Generatedname really did a good job on this one. Before he got his hands of magic on this chapter it was IMO the worst chapter I've written. Moving on though.** **I just want everyone to know by the time you read this I have started production on chapter 6. My point is that I might finish the chapters early but they are not going to be released until my beta has finished editing my story. But I'm not going to pressure him to do it faster. I leave it to him to take however much time he needs. Besides, he still has his own stories to write. He can't use up all his time editing mine. However, if Generatedname is unable to get the chapter finished within three weeks because he's too busy then I will post my unedited chapter. BUT only until Generatedname is finished Beta-ing the chapter. Once he's done then I will replace my chapter with his.** **After this the story will follow canon until I put in a mission of my own. You'll find out what that means eventually.**

 **I hope you all enjoyed. I'll see ya next time.**


	3. Chapter 3 - New Friends

**A/N: This chapter has a little bit more of my writing in it then the first two. Not much, but still more nonetheless. I'm increasing update time to once a month at most.**

 **I've decided to change John's outfit. Here are his new clothes.**

 **Johns new outfit**

 **Green hoodie with red angle wings on the back. White t-shirt under hoodie. Black jeans and white sneakers.**

 **REVIEWS**

 **NathanHale2: Writing goes to Generated name. Speaking of writing, you might want to put periods in your reviews. I don't THINK that it'll get dark and gritty, but I can't say for certain because I'm not really sure what _your_ exact definition of dark and gritty is. But from mine, I don't think it will be.**

 **Guest: Yeah. That is the kind of story this is. And if you had red my authors notes then you would know that THERE IS NO CONNECTION BETWEEN JOHN AND THE MASTER CHIEF! Sorry, I just don't like it when people point out things that I have already made obvious. But no harm done. Just please read my notes next time so this kind of thing doesn't happen again.**

 **WinstontheNinja: Thank you! And I think you will find your answer in this very chapter.**

 **swimfeared: Don't worry, I won't make him overpowered.**

 **engineer2172: Thank you! However for a little bit it will be following canon. Specifically until chapter 6. And as for the Warden Eternal... You'll just have to wait and see. BTW, yes Warden Eternal is the correct name.**

 **halo is bad ass: First of all, your right. Halo is bad ass. Secondly, your piece is good. Great in fact. But I doubt I'll use it in the story. To be honest, I'm not even sure what exactly shadowing is. Any chance you meant foreshadowing? And if so or not then what were you expecting me to do with this piece?**

 **EnrikesD8: Well, here's another chapter for you to enjoy. And, if you want to find out what it meant then you'll have to keep reading.**

 **GrimKid98: Thanks! I was hoping for a bit of uniqueness, and I also wanted it to make sense. And yeah, I think what I have planned makes MUCH more sense then a character just magically appearing on Remnant. I'm not exactingly sure when it'll all become clear. I'm guessing maybe somewhere around chapter 12 or so, but that's just a random guess.**

 **Redemption's Avenger: It means a lot to hear that. Thank you. And his weapon is closest to a Binary Rifle that had been modified to my specifications. However if you had red my authors note at the end of chapter one then you would have figured that out and wouldn't have had to ask me. Please read my authors notes, there not there just to add to my word count, they're there to tell you things that you might want to know. This is proof of that.**

* * *

Remnants Reclamation

* * *

John had passed his entrance exam with flying colors. While he hadn't gotten a perfect score, he had managed to pass the high standards required for admission to Beacon. Now, he was enjoying the first of many rewards for his hard work, as he looked down at Vale from the window of the airship taking him to his future school.

John was beginning to regret letting Aries out for their trip to Beacon. Even though he was standing in a corner, away from everyone else on the ship, that didn't stop people from staring at him, or more specifically, at Aries, who sat beside him. Aries didn't seem to mind the attention, but for John it was unnerving. He had never had so much attention focused on him before, save for when he had beaten David, but at least then he had knew what everyone had been thinking. Right now though, people were staring at him with looks of confusion, curiosity, awe, and a few even looked angry, with very few of them bothering to display any subtlety. With great difficulty, John was able to keep a straight face and just stared out the window, while Aries just ignored them. At least nobody was walking up to ask any awkward questions.

The attention of the room was suddenly redirected when a news report caught the attention of the passengers. Displayed on a shimmering holo-screen by one of the windows, it spoke about the nefarious criminal Roman Torchwick, who had led a robbery the night before. The report then went on to talk once more about the White Fang, an organization that had been showing up in the news all too often lately.

John felt bad for the Faunus, he really did. All they wanted was equality, but they were driven to violence by humanity's refusal to grant something so simple. That violence in turn fed the vicious cycle of hatred and punishment, making things even worse than they already were. He wished that people wouldn't judge the Faunus simply due to their physical characteristics, but what could he possibly do to change that? His musings were interrupted when the broadcast cut off, being replaced with a hologram of a blonde woman.

"Hello and welcome to Beacon." The woman spoke, addressing the students throughout the ship.

"Who's that?" John looked around as he heard the familiar voice. His eyes quickly came to rest on a familiar red caped girl that stood beside a taller blonde. It was she who had spoken, and John recognized her on sight. Everyone at Signal knew Yang Xiao Long, or at least, they knew of her. However, John was more curious about Ruby's presence, as he clearly remembered the girl telling him that she still had another two years at Signal.

"My name is Glynda Goodwitch." The hologram, Glynda, spoke again, cutting through his thoughts and answering Yang's question.

"You are among the privileged few who have received the honor of being selected to attend this prestigious academy. Our world is experiencing an incredible time of peace, and as future huntsmen and huntresses, it is your duty to uphold it. You have demonstrated the courage needed for such a task. And now it is our turn to provide you with the knowledge and the training to protect our world." The hologram of Glynda Goodwitch said before fading out of view.

"Wow..." John heard Ruby say as she walked to a nearby window, a look of awe on her face, an action mirrored by many other students. Deciding to do the same, John looked out the window to see Signal Academy passing by below them.

"Look! You can see Signal from up here!" As he listened to Ruby, John had to admit, the view was indeed impressive. So many memories of his were forged on that campus...

"OH! Yang, gross! You have puke on your shoes!" John's nostalgic trip was cut short by Ruby's alarmed shout.

"What? Eww, gross gross gross!"

"Get away from me! Get away from me! Get away from me!" Looking down at his own shoes, John saw Aries, the Crawler watching the events unfold, and despite its impassive features, John could tell that it was amused.

* * *

The airship arrived at Beacon a few minutes later, and the students quickly began to disembark. John was one of the last to leave, deciding to avoid getting caught in the throng of people that naturally formed when large crowds and small doorways were involved. The sight of Beacon was enough to take his breath away. It was clearly much larger than Signal, and some of the rooms within were probably larger than his entire apartment. He stared up at the sight for a few moments, before shaking himself out of his stupor and starting to make his way to the academy entrance. He received noticeably fewer stares, as the newly arriving students were too busy exploring the campus to bother gawking at his unusual pet. Looking around, he quickly spotted Ruby, who was talking to Yang. He decided to approach the pair, but as he did so, a group of people whom he recognized as some of Yang's entourage from Signal appeared, and quickly whisked the blonde away, leaving Ruby spinning in the dust. She didn't see the luggage cart behind her until it was too late.

Fortunately for her, John was close enough to catch her before she could fall into it.

"Hello there princess. Come here often?" He teased as he set her back on her feet.

"John!?" Ruby's face went red as her cloak.

"You sound like you were expecting someone else." He replied, smiling.

"What are you two dunces doing!?" An unfamiliar voice interrupted from behind him before Ruby could reply. John turned to see an irritated looking girl in a white dress staring back at him, a rapier on her hip and an upper-class air around her. As he looked her over, he quickly came to the conclusion that the girl in front of him was rich, snotty, mean, and likely paid her way into Beacon. Given the way she greeted him, it was rather easy for John to instantly dislike her.

"Oh, sorry." Ruby replied first.

"Sorry!? Do you have any idea the amount of damage you could have caused?" The white-clad girl demanded.

"I really don't think we would have done that much damage just by bumping into your luggage." John replied, grabbing one of the white cases and inspecting it.

"Give me that!" The girl exclaimed as she grabbed the case from John's hand and, opening it, pulled out a vial full of a familiar red substance.

"This is Dust, mined and purified from the Schnee quarry." She explained, shaking the vial around, causing some of its contents to leak out.

"Uh..." Ruby began to speak, before closing her eyes as she inhaled some of the airborne dust.

"What are you, brain dead? Dust! Fire, water, lightning... energy!" The other girl exclaimed, shaking the vial with each word for emphasis, and in turn causing more dust to leak out into the air.

John was able to fan it away from his face, but it was too late for Ruby, as she began to lean her head back in preparation to sneeze. The white dressed girl, seeing neither of them paying attention to her, continued her tirade.

"Are you listening to me? Do you understand anything of what I'm saying?" She demanded.

"Ah... Ah..." Ruby began, but John, remembering one particularly unfortunate incident he had back at Signal, was quick on the draw. Before Ruby could sneeze and set off the fire dust in the air, John leaped into action and covered her nose. Once he was certain the sneeze had been averted, he turned indignantly to the girl in white.

"You're lecturing us?" He demanded, snatching the vial from the girl's hand.

"Your shaking of that poorly sealed vial nearly made Ruby blow us all off the cliff, and you have the nerve to lecture US about dust safety?"

"How dare you question the reliability of a Schnee dust company product! I'll have you know that it's perfectly sealed and safe!" The girl exclaimed as she tried to take back the vial, which John raised in the air to try and keep it away from her. However, the girl quickly knocked it out of his hand, causing it to fall and roll away, thankfully undamaged.

"Now look at what you've done!" The girl glared at him.

"Please! Don't fight!" Ruby got between the two of them before John could retort.

"And you! What are you even doing here? Aren't you a little bit young to be attending Beacon? You understand that we don't play games here, we're training to fight monsters. So why don't you go back home and come back when you grow up and learn to stop fooling around and take things seriously!" Ruby's action only served to bring the white-clad girl's wrath down upon her instead.

"Hey, I said I was sorry, princess!" Ruby snapped, evidently having enough of playing peacekeeper.

"It's heiress, actually." A new voice interjected into the conversation, causing all three of their heads to turn to face the speaker. The voice belonged to a tall girl, with long, black flowing hair and a black bow on top of her head. She held the dropped vial of red Dust in her hand.

"Weiss Schnee. Heiress to the Schnee Dust Company. One of the largest producers of energy propellant in the world." She explained. At that, Weiss smiled smugly.

"Finally, some recognition!" She declared. Just as she was about to continue though, the black-haired girl continued.

"The same company infamous for its controversial labor forces and questionable business partners." At that, Weiss' face contorted into one of anger, and she spluttered indignantly as John and Ruby laughed. Snatching the vial of red dust out of the black haired girl's hand, she stormed away, leaving her butlers to push her luggage cart after her.

"I promise I'll make this up to you!" Ruby called out after her.

"Don't bother Ruby, she's not worth it." John replied, turning back to the black haired girl, only to see her walking away as well.

"Welcome to Beacon." Ruby muttered softly as she too noticed the girl's departure.

"Indeed... Say, I wanted to ask you something before Weiss happened." John replied.

"What is it?" Ruby asked and looked at him curiously.

"Well, first of all, what are you doing here? You said that you had two more years left of Signal, but here you are at Beacon. You didn't get moved up two years, did you?" John asked.

"Weeell, I might have stopped a robbery by Roman Torchwick, and one thing left to another, and I ended up getting interviewed by the headmaster and let into Beacon ahead of time." Ruby answered, excitedly recounting her exploits.

"That's awesome! You must have been really good to get his attention! Second question, what happened to Yang?" He asked.

"She ran off with her friends, leaving me all alone." Ruby replied, her excitement quickly draining away.

"That seems mean... Hey, I was wondering something. You two are sisters, but look nothing alike. Why is that?" He asked.

"We uh... We had different mothers." Ruby's face was sad as she spoke. Evidently, the topic was a sensitive one, and John let it drop. For a few moments, he was quiet, before his face brightened as he saw a way to change the subject to something more cheerful.

"Oh, Ruby, there's someone I want you to meet. Aries, meet Ruby! Ruby, meet Aries!" Ruby looked around for a moment, confused.

"Who's Arie- AAHH!" She cried out as Aries, who had been sitting on the sidelines so far, leaped in and tackled her to the ground, before beginning to nuzzle her face and giving affectionate growls. While she was clearly confused, she nonetheless laughed at the mechanical dog thing's antics. John laughed as well, before ordering Aries to get off his friend and pulling Ruby to her feet. All sadness was gone from the girl's face as she leaned down to tentatively pat the Crawler on the head.

"What is he?" She asked.

"He's Aries, and as for what he is... Honestly, I don't really know what he is. He's some sort of robot dog thing that comes from my aura, or something like that." John explained, scratching his neck sheepishly.

"How?" Ruby asked. In response, John told her the story of how he first summoned his companion, as well as his ability to summon other Crawlers, leaving out the details about the strange crystal. That could wait.

"That's weird. Where do you think they came from? Do you think it might be some kind of second semblance?" Ruby asked.

"Maybe, I'm not really sure... Although, technically my semblance interacts with time. After all, it has to look back in time to determine my exact location and position so that I can backstep there, and from what I've read, people who have semblances that interact with time ways usually experience some weird side effects. Maybe Aries and the other Crawlers are somehow connected to my semblance, but I honestly don't know." He replied.

"Hmm, maybe... Oh my dust, what's that on your back? It looks so cool!" Ruby exclaimed, finally noticing Atomizer on his back. John laughed in response.

"That's my other new friend. Ruby, meet Atomizer, my brand new high-tech sniper rifle!" He said, pulling the weapon off his back for his friend to examine.

"Wow! It looks so cool! What can it do!?" She exclaimed as she examined the weapon. In response, he split the weapon into dual falchion form.

"Well, it can split into two falchions that disintegrate anything they touch. Plus, it also disintegrates whatever it shoots." John explained, shifting it back into rifle form and returning it to its place on his back.

"How does it do that! And how did you get it!?" Ruby asked excitedly.

"It uses a special type of custom-mixed dust, and I made it myself!" John lied. He felt bad about lying to her, but he didn't want to drive his only friend away with a ridiculous-sounding story.

"You made it? How? Why didn't you make it before at Signal?" The red-clad girl asked, confused.

"Well, it took me a long time to save up to get all the tools and parts I needed, and then it took me even longer to assemble it correctly." He replied.

"Hmm..." Ruby said, before suddenly glancing down at Aries.

"What is it?" John asked.

"It looks really similar to Aries. It's got the same glowing orange, and they're made of the same metal... Is there something you're not telling me?" Ruby asked, suspiciously.

"No, no, I'm just as confused about that as you are." John replied. Ruby scrutinized him for a moment, before her voice regained its cheer.

"Okay, I hope you figure it out soon!" She said, causing John's heart to clench in guilt. He really hated lying, but the truth would result in him going the same way as his mother.

"Uh, excuse me? I-I don't mean to interrupt, but could you help me?" The pair turned around and saw a blonde boy clad standing there, wearing worn-looking white armor over a black hoodie and blue jeans. On his hip rested a plain-looking longsword.

"Sure! How can we help you?" John asked. The boy looked embarrassed for a moment before replying.

"Well, I heard that we need to go to the auditorium, but I can't find it!" He said.

"We were just about to go there! Come on, you can come with us... uh... What's your name again?" Ruby asked.

"It's Jaune, Jaune Arc. Short, sweet, rolls off the tongue, ladies love it!" The now-identified Jaune said with feigned confidence.

"The tough guy act really doesn't suit you, Jaune." John replied after a short bark of laughter.

"Heh, you're probably right. So what are your na-WOAH what is that thing!?" Jaune exclaimed as he caught sight of Aries, who was staring up at him impassively.

"Oh, that's Aries. Don't mind him, he's just a friend of mine. He won't hurt you, unless, of course, you give him a reason to." John explained.

"Oh, okay." Jaune said, still looking at Aries nervously. Shaking off his anxiety, he spoke up again.

"So what are your names?"

"My names Ruby Rose, And he's John." Ruby explained to Jaune.

"Woah! We have the same name? That's so cool!" The blonde exclaimed.

"Close, but I'm a John, not a Jaune." John replied.

"Yeah, that's what I said! They're same thing." Jaune replied, confused.

"No, you don't understand, my name is John, your name is Jaune." John explained again.

"I know! They're the same thing!" Jaune replied, frustrated.

"No they're not! We have different names!" John replied.

"But you just said that your name is Jaune and my name is Jaune!" At that, John's face met his palm.

"My name is spelled J-O-H-N. I'm guessing that yours is spelled J-A-U-N-E. The J in your name is pronounced differently than in mine." John explained with no small amount of exasperation. Jaune was silent for a moment, before replying.

"So... Not the same names?"

"NO!" John yelled, frustrated. All the while, Ruby was laughing at their antics from the sidelines, Aries silently doing the same.

"Dust, that was way more complicated than it needed to be." Jaune sheepishly rubbed his neck at that.

"Sorry." The blonde said. John sighed at that.

"No, it's alright. I'm sorry I yelled. Now I think we should get going to the auditorium, or we might miss the orientation assembly." John replied, gesturing at the school. The small party promptly began to make their way inside, not wanting to miss anything important.

Soon, they entered the main building, and after a few minutes of wandering through the halls, they found the auditorium. The vast majority of the new students were already there, right in front of the central stage, where Professor Ozpin was standing, about to get started on his speech.

"Ruby! Over here! I saved you a spot!" The red-caped girl turned to see Yang waving at her.

"That's my sister Yang! I'll see you guys later!" The younger girl exclaimed, before running off to join her sister.

Looking around, John saw that all the seats were already taken, and that many other students were left standing... That was rather odd, come to think of it. After all, from what he knew, the amount of students that graduated each year could have easily filled the seats and still have plenty of breathing room left over. Did an abnormally large amount of people pass this year?

"So... Can I stand with you?" Jaune asked, breaking him out of his musings.

"Huh? Oh, yeah, sure." John replied, just as the microphone squealed, and Ozpin began his speech.

"I'll... keep this brief. You have traveled here today in search of knowledge. To hone your craft, and acquire new skills, and when you have finished, you plan to dedicate your lives to the protection of the people. But I look among you, and all I see is wasted energy, in need of purpose and direction. You assume knowledge will free you of this, but your time at this school will prove that knowledge can only carry you so far. It is up to you to take the first step." With those words, Ozpin stepped away from the microphone, and Glynda took his place.

"You will gather in the ballroom tonight. Tomorrow, your initiation begins. Be ready. You are dismissed." The other teacher said simply, and the students began to file out of the auditorium.

"That seemed really... Rehearsed. What do you think Jaune? Jaune?" John said, frowning. When Jaune didn't respond, he looked around and saw the blonde walking towards Ruby, Yang, and an irritated-looking Weiss Schnee. After a moment, he decided to follow him, while Aries hung back, observing.

"I'm a natural blonde, you know." He heard Jaune say to Weiss as he approached, and had to stifle a laugh. However, he decided to take pity on the fool and, grabbing Jaune's hood, began to drag him away from the group.

"Hey! What was that for?" The other boy complained. Rolling his eyes, John replied.

"You'll thank me for this later, Jaune. You really don't want anything to do with Weiss." He said.

"Why not? She's beautiful!" John complained

"I guess, but she's also rich, rude and..." John trailed off as he saw that Jaune wasn't listening, the other boy's face still stuck in a day-dreaming expression. Aries shook his head at the sight.

* * *

It was dark outside by the time everyone had assembled in the ballroom after dinner. John had been one of the first to arrive, and had managed to snag a relatively comfy spot near the air conditioning unit, as the warm spring air had left the spacious room rather hot. He was wearing little more than a pair of black pants, being rather comfortable with regards to his physique. Had he been in a civilian academy, his musculature would have stood out, but in Beacon it was simply average. Aries lay beside him, head in his lap, purring occasionally.

Enjoying the sensation of cool air gently blowing against his back, he lay on his sleeping bag, thinking about initiation. The school handbook that was given out after the assembly had informed him about the specifics of Beacon's initiation, and his mind was on potential partners. Ruby for sure would be a good partner, as she was clearly skilled enough to get into Beacon two years ahead of usual, and his friendship with her only added to her appeal. Jaune was the next person he though of, although he seemed rather awkward, and he knew nothing about the boy's fighting skill. Then there was Yang. He knew of her, and had witnessed enough of her fights to know just how effective she was in a brawl. However, although he was friends with her sister, he had never so much as spoken a word to her. Then he spotted Weiss out of the corner of his eye, and he frowned. He just hoped that he didn't get her, and he pitied the unfortunate soul that did.

Looking around the ballroom for other interesting characters, he spotted several boys showing off their muscles in front of Yang. He shook his head. They were nothing special, although he himself was far from the most well-built person in the room. That was about when Jaune crossed the room, clad from head to toe in a onesie that looked both comfortable and ridiculous in equal measure. Given how hot the air in the ballroom was though, he doubted that it was the best choice in sleeping apparel for the day. Of course, the appearance drew its own fair share of stares, but Jaune clearly either didn't notice or just didn't care. Spotting Ruby over by her sister, he decided to go and talk with her.

As he approached, he saw Ruby writing something, while Yang was talking to her. He didn't hear what the blonde was saying, but he heard Ruby's response.

"I don't think dad would approve of all the boys though." The younger girl said.

"I know I do!" Yang replied with a purr. She quickly spotted John approaching, and her lilac eyes promptly focused on him.

"Hey there handsome! Can I help you?" She said, in a voice that, back at Signal, had most of the boys there wrapped around her finger.

"Hello there, Yang! Nice to finally meet you." He replied, sitting down nearby. Yang's eyebrow went up in curiosity.

"So, how do you know my name?" She asked in the same voice.

"I don't think there was anyone at Signal that didn't know it! That, and Ruby told me all about you." He replied. Yang's eyebrow quirked up further at that.

"Oh, I see now. So Ruby, are you going to introduce me to your boyfriend? Ruby?" Yang asked, turning to see her sister trying very hard not to stare at John. Evidently, the younger of the two siblings had very little experience with boys. Seeing a rare opportunity, John decided to tease her about it.

"Like what you see?" He asked, causing Yang to immediately narrow her eyes at him, fixing him with a glare that could melt steel. For a moment, John could have sworn that he saw the lilac eyes flash red. Maybe he could have been a little more tactful? Yes, that was definitely what he should have done. Ruby beat her sister to the hopefully metaphorical punch though, as a pillow slammed into his face at relatively high velocity, sending him sprawling on his back. He laughed as he sat back up.

"Relax, I'm just teasing you. Yang, my name's John, and I owe Ruby for helping me back at Signal... Say, Ruby? What are you writing?" He asked, trying to change the subject before things got awkward.

"Oh, it's a letter to my friends back at Signal! I promised to tell them all about Beacon and how things are going." She replied, the slight blush gone from her face.

"Aww. That's so cute-" Yang began, all thoughts of pummeling John temporarily forgotten as she turned back to her sister. A second pillow to the face cut her off.

"Shut up! I didn't get to bring my friends to school with me! It's weird not knowing anyone here!" Ruby exclaimed.

"Hey, you've got a few friends here! You know me, Yang, Jaune, and Aries." John replied.

"Aries? Who's Aries?" Yang said, suspicious. Looking behind him, he saw that the Crawler had stayed behind, guarding his belongings.

"That's Aries." John said, pointing at the mechanical dog thing in question.

"Woah! What is that?" Yang asked as Aries turned to look at her.

"He's a part of my semblance. Don't ask me how, I don't know. Anyway, back to the topic at hand. You see Ruby, you're not alone! You've got three friends and a sister right here." John said.

"Yeah, but Aries is more of a pet, and I bet Weiss counts as a negative friend." Ruby replied, falling back onto her own sleeping bag.

"There's no such thing as a negative friend. It just means you've made one enemy." Yang replied, and received another pillow to the face before continuing.

"Look, It's only been one day, Ruby. Trust me, there's new friend all around you! You... You just haven't met them yet!" That was about when John saw something out of the corner of his eye. Turning around, he saw the black-haired girl from before, black bow still on her head, reading a book by the light of a candle.

"Hey, Ruby, remember her?" He pointed, causing the two girls' heads to swivel.

"You two know her?" Yang asked, curious.

"Yeah. She saw what happened with Weiss and helped me out, but she left before I could say anything." Ruby explained to Yang.

"Well then, now's your chance!" Yang replied, before she stood up and, pulling Ruby to her feet, dragged her sister over to the bow wearing girl.

"Well, you girls have fun. I'm going to bed, see you in the morning." John said from where he was sitting, before standing up and heading back to his sleeping bag. Aries moved over once he arrived, and he lay down, closing his eyes, a cool metallic presence beside him showing that Aries refrained from doing the same. Instead, the Crawler continued its vigil over him. The ballroom was quiet by then, so snatches of the girls' conversation carried over to him from across the room. It turned out that the mysterious girl was named Blake, and it was obvious that she just wanted to be left alone, but even as Yang tried to get her back to bed, Ruby continued to try and strike up a conversation.

"... That's very ambitious for a child. But unfortunately, the real world isn't like a fairy tale." Blake was saying.

"Well, that's why we're here. To make it better!" Ruby replied immediately, her upbeat voice acting in stark contrast to Blake's rather somber tone. Their conversation continued for a few minutes, before Weiss interrupted them. For a moment, John considered getting up and antagonizing the white haired girl, but his soft pillow won that mental battle. Soon, Blake blew out her candles, and the room was plunged into darkness. Sleep found him and his fellow students shortly afterwards.

* * *

John woke up feeling refreshed. Sitting up, he looked around and saw Aries, the Crawler still maintaining its vigil beside him. Looking around, he saw that he was the only one visibly awake, so he lay back down, trying to get a little more rest. When sleep did not come, he checked his newly-issued scroll, and saw that breakfast wouldn't start for another hour. Unable to go back to sleep, he got up, grabbed his clothes and headed to the bathroom to change. Once he returned to his sleeping area, he knelt by Aries, who quickly turned and growled in greeting.

"Hey buddy, I'm going for a walk. You can either come with me, or stay here." Aries answered by standing up and stretching.

"Okay, looks like you're coming with me. Let's go, I want to explore Beacon." John said, before walking outside, Aries trailing behind him.

As he wandered between the buildings, he had to admit that Beacon had a beautiful campus. Several older students were out and about, either jogging, running errands, or in the case of one girl, arguing with an exasperated looking staff member about ammunition. Eventually, his scroll beeped, signifying that it was time for breakfast. Quickly heading back to the ballroom, he rolled up his sleeping bag, grabbed his belongings, and headed to the locker room to drop them off. He then proceeded to the cafeteria, ate a quick meal of bacon and eggs, and headed back to the locker room.

Walking once more up to his locker, he grabbed Atomizer and placed it snugly on his back. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw a flash of red as Ruby pulled Crescent Rose out of her own locker.

"I don't need people to grow up! I drink milk!" He heard the younger girl say, and he saw that she was talking to Yang, who was busy brushing her hair.

"That explains how you can lift that big-ass scythe!" He interjected as he walked up to the pair.

"Hey John!" Ruby greeted him, Yang doing the same moments later.

"Hey Ruby, hey Yang." He replied.

"So, uh... what are you two doing?" He asked when he got no response.

"Arguing." Ruby said, glaring at Yang, who returned it with a smile.

"Oh... Well, don't let me stop you." John said, walking past them and on towards the exit. Soon, he passed Jaune, who was talking with Weiss and a girl that he recognized instantly as none other than Pyrrha Nikos. The sight of the red-haired girl shocked him. He had seen some of her fights on TV, and of course, her face had stared down at him from countless Pumpkin Pete's Marshmallow Flakes boxes in the supermarket, but he had never thought that he would ever see her in person. That was when Glynda's voice sounded out over the speakers.

"Would all first-year students please report to the Beacon Cliffs for initiation. Again, all first-year students, report to the Beacon Cliffs immediately." The teacher ordered, and John immediately discarded the thought of approaching the girl in person, and instead stepped up his pace towards the exit. Moments later, Jaune flew past him, slamming into a wall, Pyrrha's weapon having pinned him there. Ouch... Maybe he shouldn't have been so eager to approach her after all.

"What did you do now, Jaune?" He asked as he walked up to the pinned boy and quickly pulled the weapon out of the wall.

"He was in my personal space." An unwelcome voice sounded out from behind him. He turned just in time to see Weiss walk past him and out the door. Then, he saw Pyrrha right behind her, and held out the girl's weapon to her.

"Here you go, Pyrrha." He said, and she smiled as she took back her weapon, although the smile seemed somewhat forced.

"Thank you very much." The girl replied, politely.

"No problem. I'm John." He said, and held out his hand. Pyrrha shook it.

"Nice to meet you John. I would introduce myself, but it seems you already know who I am." She said.

"I don't think that there's anyone here who doesn't know who you are." John replied. For a moment, Pyrrha's smile wavered, before returning to its usual radiant self.

"Actually, Jaune didn't." She replied, her smile becoming more genuine as she mentioned the boy.

"Somehow that doesn't surprise me. Anyway, I'm heading to the cliff now, but I hope we will be able to talk in the future. I'd wish you good luck in initiation, but you probably won't need it." John said with a smile of his own.

"Thank you, and good luck to you too." She called out behind him.

John nodded at that, before turning around and heading to the exit.

"It was nice meeting you Jaune." He heard Pyrrha say behind him, and turning around, he saw her talking to Jaune, who had gotten to his feet and dusted himself off, and was now inspecting the damage done to his hoodie.

"Likewise." He said weakly, before he was out of earshot. Putting the pair out of his mind, John headed out to the cliff, mentally checking and re-checking his landing strategy.

* * *

John was far from the first person to arrive at the cliff, and he quickly spotted the metal platforms that the students were standing on. Having read the school handbook, he put two and two together and realized that they were some kind of catapult system. Realizing that he could only fit himself on a platform, he turned to Aries and spoke.

"Aries, I'm gonna have to ask you to disappear for a while." Aries glared at him, and voiced his displeasure by growling.

"I know you don't like it, but it won't be for very long. I'll summon you back as soon as I land in the forest. It's just that I can't launch with you." Aries continued to growl, but quickly relented and disappeared in a burst of white light. With that problem solved, John walked up to the platform and assumed a ready stance.

"That was interesting." John heard a voice say beside him. He looked to his left, and saw a boy wearing a black and light blue T-shirt and black pants with a blue square pattern on them. He had navy blue hair and green eyes that stared at John with a smile.

"Don't mind me, just arguing with my semblance." John replied.

"Oh? And what, pray tell, is your semblance?" The boy asked, quirking an eyebrow.

"It's pretty complicated to explain, but if we get partnered up I'm sure you'll figure it our quickly. What about you?" John asked.

"I see. My semblance allows me to slow down time to half it's normal speed. Of course, it only slows down from my perspective, so to you, it will just seem like I'm really fast." The other boy said proudly.

"Wow. That's a really cool semblance." John replied.

"Thanks! It's really tiring to use though. I've got to take breaks all the time, or else I might pass out. I think it's because I'm forcing my body to move at twice its usual speed, which really sucks." He explained.

"Ouch... So it's not so much time itself that's being slowed as your perception of it... That's still awesome. So, what's your name?" John asked.

"The name's Azure Peacock. Nice to meet you." He said, and held out his hand for John to shake. John did so and replied.

"Interesting name. I'm John Midori." He introduced himself.

"Nice to meet you, John." Azure said, releasing his hand.

"Likewise. So Azure, tell me about you." John asked, passing time as the last few students arrived at the cliffs.

"Well, I'm fast even without my semblance. As for my weapons, I've got these two machetes, and a ton of throwing knives. What about you?" Azure asked. In response, John pulled out Atomizer.

"This is Atomizer. It's a sniper rifle that can transform into a pair of falchions. It disintegrates anything I shoot or slice." He replied. Azure's eyes widened for a moment as he looked at the weapon, before his smile grew.

"Heh, mine are still better. So, John, what do you think of partnering up with me?" He asked.

"Sounds good, although I still don't know how we'll get paired up." John replied.

"Let's hope they explain it soon then!" Azure replied, and John laughed. That was when the last person arrived at the cliff, and the headmaster began his speech.

"For years, you have trained to become warriors, and today your abilities will be evaluated in the emerald forest." Ozpin spoke, and Glynda quickly followed up.

"Now, I'm sure many of you have heard rumors about the assignment of teams. Well, allow us to put an end to your confusion. Each of you will be given teammates. Today."

Looking around, John saw the rest of the assembled students, and there were a lot of them, eagerly listening for just how they will find their partners.

"These teammates will be with you for the rest of your time here at Beacon. So it is in your best interest to be paired with someone with whom you can work well." Ozpin explained.

Several platforms to his right, John thought he heard a nervous whine from Ruby.

"That being said, the first person you make eye contact with after landing will be your partner for the next four years." Ozpin continued.

"WHAT!?" John's mental response was echoed down the line, as multiple students cried out at the same time.

Ignoring the outburst, Ozpin continued to speak.

"After you've partnered up, make your way to the northern end of the forest. You will meet opposition along the way. Do not hesitate to destroy everything in your path, or you will die." Something in the man's voice told John that the man was deadly serious. Did people really die in initiation? It would certainly explain how the upper classes were so small... He shook his head. He needed to focus if he didn't want to find out the hard way. He felt something weird in his chest, and fought to squash the nervousness down. With one ear, he listened to the rest of Ozpin's speech. It seemed as though he had to retrieve some sort of item from a ruined temple in the northern end of the forest, and return it to the cliff, while making eye contact with someone along the way, preferably sooner rather than later.

"Now, any questions?" Ozpin finished, bringing John out of his daze. With nothing to ask, he looked down at the metal pad beneath his feet, wondering just how and when he would enter the forest. Down the line, he dimly saw Jaune raise his hand, but Ozpin ignored him. Evidently, that last statement of his was a mere formality.

"Good. Now, take your positions." The grey haired headmaster ordered. John quickly re-checked Atomizer's holster to ensure that his weapon was secure on his back, before assuming his ready stance once more. Way down on his left, he saw the first person launch, followed moments later by the next. One by one the students vanished into the air. Soon, it was Azure's turn, and the boy grinned.

"See ya out there John! Try not to die!" The blue-wearing boy said, before he was flung into the air. At that, John gulped. He was next.

The pad beneath him suddenly bucked, and he looked back to see the Beacon cliff quickly receding in the distance. Then, the reality of the situation set in. He, John Midori, was in free fall over a forest infested with monsters. However, instead of fear, John felt a confusing amount of happiness. At first, he thought that it was Aries, somehow communicating with him from wherever he was at the moment. However, that was irrelevant in comparison to the sudden realization that his landing strategy wouldn't work. When he first heard the term, he thought he would be jumping out of a Bullhead, maybe with a parachute. Evidently, that was not the case, and as the tree-line grew ever closer, John began to panic. Shutting his eyes, he waited for the pain, flaring his aura in preparation for the inevitable impact. All too late, he realized that he could have back-stepped to Beacon Cliff and descended from there, but he had been airborne long enough that the cliff was no longer within the time-frame allowed by his semblance.

Then, he realized that he was no longer falling, and opened his eyes. Right below him was a light blue platform of some sort, holding him suspended above the ground. Looking around, he saw an orange beam going up and into the air behind him. Following it to its source, his eyes widened as he saw it.

Hovering in the air, looking straight at him, was a mechanical creature similar to Aries. It was composed of white metal and had glowing orange lines running along it, much like his faithful Crawler, but that was where the similarities ended. Instead of Aries's dog-like form, the new creature had a strange, almost butterfly-like body, with two large glowing circular structures where the wings would have been. On the main body there was also a glowing orange circle, and it was from there that the orange beam was projected. Above the circle was a small head and below it lay two almost comically small limbs. Much like it had with Aries, a term automatically popped into his head. Watcher.

"Uh... Hi there?" He greeted. The watcher made a strange squawking noise in response.

"Um, can you please let me down?" The watcher promptly stopped generating the blue shield that he was standing on, and he quickly landed, crouching on a branch of the tree below him. Quickly finding his balance, he stood up and looked at the Watcher, and true to its apparent name, the Watcher looked back.

"Uh... one second." He said to the watcher before he quickly climbed down from the tree and summoned Aries on the ground. The Crawler appeared in a flash of white light, and despite his static features, John swore that Aries was smug.

"You have anything to do with this, didn't you?" John asked, pointing up at the Watcher, that circled overhead, watching the scene unfold. Aries barked and nodded in response.

"I see. Well, I suppose I owe you one for making him save me." John said, before glancing up at the Watcher. The flying creature had just come down, and was now hovering right over his head.

"And I guess I have to thank you as well. Without you... Let's just say it would have hurt. A lot." The watcher squawked in response.

"Does that mean I can summon you as well?" Another squawk, as if the watcher was saying 'No shit!'

"Cool! Now, you need a name..." John thought for a moment, before making his decision.

"How about I call you Harpy?" The watcher squawked at that, before nodding.

"Alright, Harpy it is. Now, let's see where we need to go..." John pulled out his scroll, and saw that it was showing his aura levels. Looking at it, he saw that he was down by a whole fifteen percent. Aries could account for five of that, so the rest had to be used up to summon Harpy.

"Okay then, looks like summoning you is twice as costly as summoning Aries. So, what can you do?" John asked. Harpy squawked in response, and turned to a tree and opened fire on it.

"Ok, so you have a gun. Anything else?" In response, Harpy projected the blue shield once more, placing it in between him and Aries. Aries promptly opened his mouth and fired, and the orange ball of energy bounced off.

"That is certainly handy to have, although I'm gonna save myself a headache and not wonder about how it works. Is that it?" John asked, and Harpy nodded.

"Looks good to me." John said, before pulling up the compass on his scroll. Quickly locating north, he began to walk, before he paused and looked up to where Harpy was still hovering.

"Hey, do you mind going up and looking around for a ruined temple to the north? Also, if you spot any Grimm or students nearby, alert me immediately. Got it?" John asked. Harpy squawked in response, before ascending above the tree line. Once the Watcher was out of sight, John turned to Aries.

"Alright, let's get moving." He said, pulling Atomizer off his back, before heading off to the north, keeping his eyes peeled for any Grimm.

A while passed in peace, as neither student nor monster approached him. Nevertheless, he kept his guard up and his weapon at the ready, and soon his vigilance was rewarded as he spotted a pack of Beowulves in a nearby clearing.

"Let's do this. Aries, I'm going to summon some friends. You're in command of them, got it?" He whispered. Aries nodded in response. Seeing this, John concentrated and, after a few moments, several flashes of white light went off around him, as four Crawlers and a Watcher appeared around him. He felt the hit to his aura, and after a brief glance at the scroll noted that he was down to 55%, with the usual lack of regeneration associated with his summoning.

"Aries, I want the Watcher covering me. As for the Crawlers, take them around, and once I take my first shot, hit them from behind. Bark once when you're in position, alright?" He whispered, and Aries nodded. The four Crawlers vanished into the undergrowth, Aries following right behind them, while the Watcher stayed in position, ready to deploy its shield. As his summoned allies went about their orders, John took aim at the torso of the nearest Beowulf. After nearly a minute of waiting, he heard the familiar mechanical bark, signalling that his companion was in position. Through Atomizer's scope, he saw the Beowulves' heads turn at the sound. Perfect.

His finger pulled back on the trigger, and a bright ray of orange light slammed into his target, which quickly disintegrated in a spray of orange light. The now-dead Grimm's pack mates were quick on the uptake, and as one they turned and charged at the source of the shot. That was when Aries burst out of the bushes at the head of his own pack of mechanical hounds, orange light blazing from their jaws. Caught unawares, several Beowulves fell, and the pack split, as some ran back to engage these new assailants, while the rest continued their charge at John, who smiled as he picked them off, one by one. One shot was all he needed for each one, and soon, the group charging at him was all gone. The immediate threat dealt with, John lined up a shot on one of the more distant Beowulves, one of the group that was fighting a losing battle against his Crawlers. However, before he could fire, he heard a loud roar behind him, and only the deployment of a bright blue shield saved him from being slammed to the ground by an Ursa that had somehow managed to sneak up behind him. The giant Grimm didn't have a chance to strike again though, as several orange bolts from his summoned Watcher slammed into the monster, taking out impressive chunks of its body, including the limb that was striking at him.

Quickly recovering from his shock, John split atomizer, and after dodging a strike from the monster's sole remaining limb, he struck back. The Ursa's remaining arm was the first thing to go, followed by a chunk of the beast's torso. A final falchion strike removed the monster's head, and it fell to the ground, dead and disintegrating.

Quickly re-forming the blades into sniper form, John turned back to the Beowulves, only to see that they were all dead. That was when he heard a slow clapping coming from behind him. Turning back around, he saw Azure standing there, a smile on his face.

"Nice job, although I could have done better." The boy said, extending a hand for John to shake.

"You know, you could have helped me out." John replied as he dismissed the majority of his summoned allies until only Aries and Harpy remained active.

"Pft, says the guys who stole my Ursa. All that time following it, for nothing! Anyway, it looks like we're partners now." Azure said.

"Seems that way." John replied.

"So uh, what are these things? I mean, I've seen that metal dog thing before, but not that weird flying robot." Azure replied, looking up just as Harpy descended from above, having presumably completed his objective.

"I can summon them with my semblance. This is Aries, a Crawler, and up there is Harpy, a Watcher. Speaking of which, Harpy, did you locate the temple?" John said. Harpy squawked in response, before turning to the north.

"Good work. So, partner of mine, shall we get going?" John asked.

"Sure. Let's go." Azure replied, and they set off, with Harpy leading the way.

It was about ten minutes later that Harpy suddenly stopped, squawking as he did so. Down below, Aries copied the move, alerting John.

"Azure, hold up." John said, raising his hand as he stopped, scanning his surroundings for potential threats.

"Why are we stopping? We're not there yet." Azure asked, curious.

"Because Harpy's found something. That's why." John explained, keeping his eyes peeled.

"What did he find?" Azure asked.

"I don't know, but I think we're about to find out." John said, before turning Aries and Harpy.

"Guys, why are we stopping?" He asked. His two mechanical companions responded with a series of noises, before turning around and running away.

"Guys! Where are you going!?" John called out.

"Forget them. Let's just keep going, we don't need any more distractions." Azure replied from beside him.

"No. They've got to have a good reason to do this, so we're going to follow them."

"Oh yeah? And what if I don't want to?" Azure demanded.

"Then you're going to have fun finding the temple without a guide. Let's go!" John answered, before turning around and running after his summoned allies

Behind him, Azure stood still for a moment, before rolling his eyes and following after his partner. He quickly caught up to him, and saw Aries running a few meters ahead of him. After about two minutes of running, John began to hear gunshots, interspersed with the roars of Grimm.

"Azure, you hear that?" He asked.

"Yeah, looks like someone else's business." The other boy replied.

"Let's check it out!" John said, and stepped up his pace.

"Sure, why not. It's not like we have any other objective to complete in this forest." Azure replied. John sighed at that, but when he looked to his side he saw that the other boy was still running beside him. Soon enough, they spotted the ongoing battle. In a clearing up ahead, two girls were standing back to back, surrounded by a large pack of Beowulves, an oversized Alpha at their head. Both of them were panting with exhaustion, and the disintegrating remains of Grimm were strewn throughout the clearing. As John came closer, he saw that one of the girls was a Faunus, two large ears clearly poking through her hair. They were too big to be a cat's, so maybe some kind of dog? John quickly derailed that train of thought. He could find out after the battle was over.

The Grimm made their move first, and the entire pack charged, seeking to overwhelm the two initiates with sheer numbers. The Faunus girl opened fire on them as they got close, her weapon tearing apart any Beowulf directly in front of it, and sending others flying back, despite the notable lack of a muzzle flash or visible shot. Any Grimm that got too close was unceremoniously disemboweled with the weapon's bayonet. Behind her, the other girl fired off some sort of sticky bomb at any Grimm in sight, the spiked explosives impaling themselves on their targets before detonating, claiming any Grimm unfortunate enough to be in their blast radius. However, the Grimm horde shrugged off its losses, and soon the girl had to transform her weapon into a long staff, tipped with a pair of spiked mace heads.

"Looks like there's enough Grimm there for all of us! I bet I can get more than you!" Azure called out as he pulled a throwing knife from his belt.

"I'll take that bet!" John replied, splitting Atomizer into melee form. He knew better than to try and snipe while on an adrenaline rush. In response, Azure threw his first knife, the weapon burying itself up to the hilt in the head of the nearest Beowulf. He was upon it moments later, bisecting it with a single blow of one of his machetes.

John found his own target moments later, and a single slash ended the life of another lupine Grimm. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Aries open fire, while Harpy deployed his shield to defend the girls, the blue barrier flickering in and out of existence all around them as its maker tried its best to block as many strikes as possible. For a moment, John considered summoning more allies, but he decided that he needed the aura defending him after the Alpha Beowulf managed to sneak past his guard and land a blow. The hit sent him flying into the Faunus girl, and while he managed to barely keep his footing, the girl wasn't so lucky. A blue shield protected her from a Beowulf's attempt to take advantage of the situation, and a falchion strike from John finished the beast. Seeing that the horde was thinning and that there were no threats in his immediate vicinity, John clipped one of his swords to his belt before holding his hand out to the exhausted girl.

"Get up! These things won't kill themselves!" He said, absentmindedly cutting down another Grimm wolf that had leaped at him. The girl hesitated for a moment, before grabbing his hand and pulling herself up. She promptly spun around and, with a single shot from her weapon, turned another Beowulf into thin red paste. Not wanting to be undone, John leaped at the Alpha, which had turned around to focus on Azure. His first strike lopped off an arm, and his second took off its head. As the disintegrating monster fell to the ground, Azure shook his head.

"I totally had that one!" He complained as he hurled another knife into yet another Beowulf.

"Alphas are worth five normal ones! I'm winning!" John replied, looking around for another target. Spotting one across the clearing, he shifted Atomizer back into sniper form and opened fire, his shots hitting at the same time as Azure's knives met their mark. As the final Beowulf fell, the clearing descended into silence.

"So, whose kill is that?" Azure asked.

"We'll split it half and half." John replied, smiling, before turning to Aries and Harpy.

"How about you? How much did you guys get?" He asked. Aries barked three times in response, while Harpy squawked once.

"Good work, both of you." John answered, before turning back to the two girls, who stood together, leaning against each other. The Faunus girl was wearing a black jacket and black pants. Her hair was spiky and black. Her eyes were green, and her skin was very pale. The taller of the two was a blonde haired girl was wearing a dark green jacket with a yellow T-shirt and blue jeans. She had long blond hair and bright blue eyes and had freckles on her face. She shifted her staff back into bomb launcher form, looked at him with a scowl on her face.

"We didn't need your help. We could have taken them easily, until you intervened and messed up our concentration." The girl declared, before wincing and unfolding her weapon back into staff form so that she could lean on it. John's eyes narrowed, and he quickly raised Atomizer at her, but Azure beat him to the punch. One of the boy's knives flew over the blonde's shoulder, slicing off a lock of her hair in the process, before embedding itself into the body of a Beowulf. John promptly fired over her other shoulder, finishing the beast.

"Yup. You definitely had that one handled." John commented as he looked around for any other stragglers. The blonde huffed in response, and John turned to Azure.

"So, are you okay? No nasty scratches from those big bad Beowulves?" He asked his partner.

"Yeah I'm good. They'd have to try a lot harder than that if they want to touch me." Azure replied.

"So, what about you two? Any injuries?" John asked the pair. The blonde just looked away, while the black haired Faunus nodded shyly in response.

"Thank you." She murmured, clinging to her partner as she did so. As she spoke, John caught a quick glimpse of two long, pointed teeth in her mouth. Did that make her some kind of dog Faunus? No, something about her ears just didn't look dog-like. That was when he noticed a bit of skin missing from the girl's left animal ear, and his eyes narrowed slightly.

"Don't thank them. We would have been just fine without their help." The blonde replied aggressively, sending John a pointed look. The faunus girl looked away in response.

"So... Can you at least tell me your names?" John asked after an awkward pause.

"Hmph!" The blond girl snorted in reply, and turned away.

"I'm Riley Resonance and she's Gemina Dopple." The bat girl, now identified as Riley, answered, keeping her voice soft.

"Nice to meet you Riley." John replied cheerfully.

"I'm John Midori and he's Azure Peacock." He introduced himself and his partner.

"It's a pleasure to meet you." Riley said replied, her voice slightly louder than before, which wasn't saying much.

"Well, now that the introductions are out of the way, how about we make our way to the temple together?" Azure asked the group.

For a moment Riley looked like she was about to respond, but Gemina preempted her with a scowl.

"No thanks. We'll be just fine on our own. Come on Riley, let's go." She answered, before turning and walking away. John gaped for a moment, before growling in frustration.

"Would you stop being so stupid and think for a moment? You guys are so tired you can barely stand, and your aura is probably in a similar state. Don't you think it would be safer for all of us if we decided to work together?" John demanded. Gemina paused at that, before turning and stomping up to him, until her face was inches away from his own.

"Listen here. I said it once, and I will say it again. We were fine without you, and we don't need your help, so you two can just turn around and screw off!" She shouted. Moments later, a blue shield appeared between them, and Aries began to growl from his side. Gemina paused for a moment, realizing that she was currently outnumbered four to one.

"Don't do that. They're very protective of me. Now, would you prefer to have the mechanical super dog thing and shield projecting flying robot on your side, or would you rather ignore our offer of help and walk away into the woods and get eaten by Grimm?" John replied.

"Gemina, please stop. We could really use their help." Riley added, walking up to the arguing pair.

"Finally, someone with common sense!" Azure commented from the side, causing Gemina to turn her glare on him. For a moment, she held it there, before, with noticeable effort, she turned away.

"Alright, Fine! They can come with us." She said before turning and, scowl still firmly in place, stormed off in the general direction of the temple.

"She says it like we're the ones who need help." Azure muttered under his breath, before he started off after her. John and Riley followed behind him, and Aries brought up the rear. Finally, Harpy had flown back up into the air to look for any nearby threats.

The group walked in silence for a moment, before Riley spoke up.

"I'm sorry about her. She grew up with five brothers and no mother or sisters, and... Well, she has issues with boys." Riley murmured. For a moment, it looked like she would say more, but thought the better of it.

"Really? Did something happen with her brothers?" John asked.

"Well... Not exactly... Anyway, we really should walk faster, we wouldn't want to fall behind." Riley said evasively. Clearly, she didn't want to talk about it, and John decided not to press the subject.

"Alright, I'll try and get Azure to go easy on her. The last thing we need is for a fight to break out and attract half the Grimm in the forest." He answered.

"That sounds good... Please, don't be too angry at her. I've known her ever since we were little, and she's been through a lot." Riley replied.

"No worries. Now, I'm going to catch up with Azure, hopefully before he can start antagonizing your partner." John said, and stepped up his pace, Riley doing the same.

"So, just because blondie over there has boy issues, we're supposed to let her be a pain in the ass?" Azure asked, glancing over to see if Gemina had heard him.

"No, what I'm saying is that you should just avoid her until we get out of the forest. I don't want you arguing with her and attracting Grimm. Hopefully, we'll end up on different teams after this, and that will be the end of it. Still, until we get out of the forest, just don't talk with her, okay?" John replied.

"Yeah, no worries. I get it." Azure answered.

"Good. Now lets get going. The sooner we get to the temple the better." John said, spotting Gemina up ahead.

"Hey Gemina! Is it okay if we pick up the pace!? I want to get out of this forest as soon as possible!" He called out to her.

"Whatever! Lets go!" The blonde shouted back, before breaking into a slow jog. Through the trees, John spotted a clearing in the distance. Hopefully, the temple wasn't too far away.

* * *

 **A/N: 11,463 words, biggest chapter yet. Next chapter might take longer to get out, because of reasons I will not disclose. Also, chapters during the summer might end up taking longer because I will want to be outside and not on a laptop, but we'll see. And for anyone who didn't figure it out, 'summoned' refers to the prometheans that John spawns. Also, what do you think of the new summary for my story? Is it better or worse? Hope you all enjoyed.**

 **Please review and tell me what you think. And I'll see you next time.**


	4. Chapter 4 - Welcome to Beacon

**IMPORTANT**

 **Okay... I'm starting to get the feeling that people aren't reading my authors notes (Thank you to all who do). Because I've received a couple of reviews and PMs asking me things that I have already explained. So let me make one thing clear: I don't write my authors notes just to increase my word count, I write it so I can tell you things that you might like to know. But, in the end, it's completely up to you if you read my authors notes, however I suggest you do.** **Here is one such reason you should read my authors notes: I went back and changed the cube into a crystal. Also, I am not taking OC requests. I have an abundance of OC's as it is and I don't need any new ones.**

 **Reviews**

 **NathanHale2: First of all, thank you for the complements. Now for your questions. Oh absolutely, John will find all the answers about the Prometheans and yes it will be a major plot point. I'm not the kind of writer that will put something in the story that has no explanation. At least I don't think I am, I might one day do that, but I like to have all the facts explained eventually.**

 **Well, it's going to follow canon for the most part, so if you find the RWBY story dark and gritty then you have your answer. However for the halo/my original parts, I suppose at one point it will get somewhat dark, but not too much. But, if you mean dark as n people start killing people, yeah, that'll happen.**

 **Oh he's realistic for sure. There's no doubt. He understands that sometimes for the greater good sacrifices must be made and people must be killed. Heck, here's a scene I was going to put in but decided against:**

 **"That's very ambitious for a child. But unfortunately, the real worlds not like a fairy tale. It has good and evil, and both have an equal chance at success." Blake said.**

 **"Well, that's why we're here. To make it better and get rid of the evil." Ruby replied.**

 **"But in the end it'll all be for naught." The three girls turned to look at John, who had been listening to the conversation. "It's in human nature to destroy itself. Even if you succeed in ridding the world of evil, it will only rise again. The process will repeat over and over and over again until finally evil will emerge victories. And either the world will be shrouded in darkness, or the world will cease to exist."**

 **The girls eyes widened. "That was very..." Blake trailed off.**

 **"Dark?" Yang offered.**

 **"I think that word fits." Ruby said.**

 **"Dark, yes. But wise as well." Blake said, looking at John.**

 **John just shrugged. "I'm just being realistic. One day, we will destroy ourselves. It's in our nature, and nature always wins."**

 **As you can see he's very realistic and understands the way thing's work. I assure you that John knows that sometimes people have to die to prevent catastrophe. However, he is still a huntsmen in training and therefor has to be morally against it and tries to avoid unnecessary death, but will kill when the need arises. But how many situations like that will be in my story... I don't know. But as for when it will first happen... Wait until chapter 6.**

 **WinstontheNinja: Thank you very much! For your compliments, here's another chapter!**

 **halo is bad ass: Actually, I got the idea from Alex Mercers Jacket from Prototype. And yeah, it did sound good.**

 **Now that that's over with, please enjoy the chapter.**

* * *

Remnant's Reclamation

* * *

After a few minutes of travel, the small group had reached the temple, leaving many disintegrating carcasses of slain grimm behind them. However, as the ruined structure came into view, the sight that awaited them was not pretty by any means. A giant Nevermore was circling overhead, while down on the ground, a familiar red-cloaked figure was running for her life, a similarly oversized Deathstalker right behind her. Ahead of Ruby, Yang was desperately trying to come to her sister's aid, but it was obvious that she was simply too far away to reach her in time.

"Damn it Ruby, what have you done now?" John cursed as he redoubled his vain efforts to reach the red-caped girl.

"You know her?" Azure asked, as he too caught sight of the unfolding battle.

"Yeah, I do. Now come on. Lets save her before she gets herself killed." John replied, redoubling his efforts yet again.

However, before they could reach the temple clearing, the Nevermore screeched and shot feathers down at Ruby and Yang. One deadly pinion caught Ruby's cloak, pinning the girl in place.

"Damn!" John cursed, skidding to a stop and kneeling down, before taking aim at the feather that held his friend in place. However, the same adrenaline that let him sprint faster now worked against him, and his shaking hands wouldn't let him center the black feather in his sights.

"Ruby get out of there!" He heard Yang scream, the blonde trapped in an enclosure of deadly feathers.

"I'm trying!" Ruby shouted back as she desperately attempted to free her cape. Above her, the Deathstalker raised its tail in preparation for a killing strike, and as Ruby desperately covered her head with her hands, John knew it was now or never. Centering the stinger in his wavering sights, he pulled the trigger, just as Gemina tripped over beside him. The girl's impact caused his shot to go wild, and it was only through sheer dumb luck that it struck the feather pinning Ruby in place. However, it was too little too late, and even as the feather disintegrated, the stinger descended. Were it not for a white blur appearing out of nowhere and freezing the lethal appendage in ice, Ruby Rose would have been sent home in a body bag. Through his scope, he saw Weiss, the white-clad girl talking to her apparent partner. After a moment, John swallowed his pride and spoke up.

"Nice job Weiss." He said, standing up from his firing position and walking up to the group, with Azure, Riley and Gemina right behind him, while Aries rushed ahead and Harpy descended from above. Weiss turned at the sound of his voice, but he cut her off before she could respond.

"Whatever you have to say, it can wait. That Nevermore could return at any moment, so we have no time to waste." He said, before turning to the rest of his group.

"Azure, grab a relic. Gemina, I assume you will want to do the same. I'm going to go check on Ruby." At that, Azure nodded and headed off to the temple, Gemina doing the same. Meanwhile, John approached Ruby, who was locked in a hug with her older sister.

"Are you alright?" He asked as Ruby managed to extricate herself from her sister's embrace.

"Yeah, I'm fine, thanks to Weiss." Ruby replied.

"So what happened?" John asked, curious.

"I'll tell you what happened! This dunce decided to attack a giant Deatstalker, all alone and without a plan!" Weiss interjected, walking up to them. John frowned at that, and Ruby smiled sheepishly.

"Well, at least you're not hurt. I'd lecture you, but..." John trailed off, gesturing at the distant Nevermore in the sky.

"Is that it? She-" Weiss yelled, but he cut her off.

"No. Save the lectures for later. It's too dangerous out here." Weiss growled at that, but didn't argue. After all, John had a point. Giving Ruby one last look, John turned and headed off to the temple, his summoned allies trailing behind him.

"John! Were you the one who shot that feather?" At the familiar voice, John turned to Yang, who had ran up to him, having freed herself from her temporary prison.

"I was aiming for the stinger. As much as I hate to admit it, Weiss was the one who saved your sister, not me." John replied.

"Whatever, you still tried, and I have to thank you for that." Yang replied.

"No problem." John replied, before realizing something. In addition to Weiss, Yang and Ruby, there were five other people at the temple, and none of them had raised a hand to help.

"Is something wrong?" Yang asked, noticing his expression darkening.

"Yes." He replied, and stormed towards the temple, where the rest of the group was waiting.

"Hey John, you okay with a paw-" Azure began, holding up what looked to be a big golden chess piece, but John cut him off.

"Hold that thought, Azure." He growled, walking up to where Blake, Jaune, Pyrrha, and two unfamiliar people stood. Jaune began to greet him, but John cut him off.

"What the hell is the matter with you?" He demanded, causing the group to take a step back in surprise.

"I-I'm sorry?" Pyrrha asked.

"Ruby was out there, about to be killed by that Deathstalker, and you guys are just standing back and watching the show? What's wrong with you people?" He continued.

"We assumed that she would have been fine. She was outrunning the Deathstalker, after all." One of the unfamiliar students, a calm looking boy in a green tailcoat, spoke up, although his voice was uncertain.

"And what about after she got pinned? If Weiss hadn't intervened when she did, Ruby would be dead, all because you didn't even try to help her!" John shouted, before turning and walking away to where Azure was waiting.

"Weren't you a little harsh on them?" Azure asked.

"They needed to hear it. How can we expect to become better huntsmen if we don't look out for each other when we're in trouble... So, You have the relic?" John answered.

"Yup. Decided not to bring a pawn after all." Azure replied.

"I don't care either way. We have what we need, now let's get out of here." John said.

"Sounds good." John replied, looking around and seeing Riley grabbing another white king from its pedestal.

"Uh, guys? That thing's coming back... What are we gonna do?" Jaune spoke up, pointing up at the sky while Ruby, Weiss and Yang made their way back to the group. It was Weiss who answered.

"Look. There's no sense in dilly dallying. Our objective is right in front of us." She answered.

"She's right. Our mission is to grab a relic and make our way back to the cliff. There's no point in fighting these things." Ruby added.

"Except that it's fun." Azure said quietly, causing John to smile for a moment.

"Run and live. That is an idea I can get behind." Jaune added, before walking up and grabbing a white rook piece, while Ruby grabbed the white knight beside it. That was when a loud roar echoed through the clearing, as the Deathstalker began to make progress in freeing itself from the slowly melting ice.

"Time we left." The green-clad boy, whose name John still didn't know, spoke up.

"Right." Ruby replied beginning to run towards the distant cliff, the rest of the students following behind her, with John's group bringing up the rear.

* * *

A few minutes of uneventful running passed by, as the twelve Beacon initiates made their way through the forest, their eyes fixed on the sky, catching occasional glimpses of the Nevermore that was tailing them. Suddenly, John heard a cry of pain behind him, and quickly came to a stop. Turning around, he saw Riley, desperately trying to get back to her feet before falling back down, clutching her ankle. Before he could speak, Gemina was by her friend's side.

"Riley! Are you okay? What happened?!" The blonde asked, helping the Faunus girl to her feet.

"I stepped in a hole and twisted my ankle. It was covered in leaves and I didn't see it." Riley gritted out, wincing in pain.

John ran to her, while Harpy and Aries took up defensive positions around him.

"Hmm, this doesn't look good. Can you walk?" He heard Gemina ask as she inspected the ankle.

"Yeah, I think so." The Faunus girl replied as she attempted to stand on her own, only to promptly fall forward with a cry of agony. This time, Azure caught her.

"Thanks." She said as the boy helped her back up.

"No problem." He replied.

"Okay, you can't walk on it. One of us will have to carry you." John said, but before anyone could reply, there came a tremendous crashing noise coming from the direction of the temple.

"The Deathstalker! Quick! Hide!" John called out, eyes widening in realization, before leaping into a nearby tree, quickly scaling the trunk and concealing himself in a cluster of leaves. Below him, he saw Azure grab Riley and pull her behind another tree, while Gemina dove into a clump of shrubberies. After a moment, John dismissed Aries and Harpy, perfectly hiding his summoned allies.

However, as he lay there, flush against the branch, he thought back to Grimm studies. Grimm were attracted to negativity, and down below him there was a girl, injured to the point of being near-helpless in a dangerous forest full of monsters. Trying to think happy thoughts, John lay as still as possible, praying that the Deathstalker did not notice him. Finally, the beast crashed into view, breaking through trees as if they weren't even there. Then, as John looked on with mounting horror, the beast stopped, as if it had detected something. For a moment, it stood still, looking around until its head slowly came to rest on Azure and Riley's hiding spot.

Slowly, John reached onto his back and drew out Atomizer, taking care to make as little noise as possible as he brought it to bear against the monster. John let the scope settle on one of the beast's eyes, and was just about to pull the trigger when the Nevermore screeched in the distance. As if it had received a message, the Deathstalker turned away and ran towards the cliff. For a moment, the forest was silent, before John breathed a sigh of relief and, holstering Atomizer, he climbed back down.

"That was way too close for comfort." He exclaimed as the rest of his group came out of hiding.

"Your telling me." Azure walked out from behind the tree, Riley leaning on him for support.

"Now, what are we gonna do? Riley can't walk, and we have to get to the temple." The other boy asked.

"You're going to have to carry her Azure. Don't worry, we've got your back." John replied, and Gemina nodded, concern for her friend clear on her face. That was when a familiar howl resounded through the forest behind them. The group turned, and saw several Beowulves come out of the undergrowth, with more and more emerging by the second.

"Oh, you have GOT to be kidding me!" Gemina exclaimed as she watched the horde of Beowulves and Ursi come into view.

"Come on! No time to waste! Azure, pick up Riley and head to the cliff! We won't be far behind." John ordered, and Azure nodded, pulling Riley into a fireman's carry and heading off to the cliff. John and Gemina waited for a few moments, before running off behind them, John taking the moment to re-summon Aries and Harpy.

As they ran, the two of them fired backwards into the horde of Grimm, landing hits simply because there were too many slavering monsters after them to miss.

A minute later, they reached the ruins at the base of Beacon Cliff. There was no sign of either the Deathstalker or Nevermore, and the place bore clear signs of a battle recently having taken place there. However, John's hope turned to dismay as he saw that the bridge was gone.

"Where's everyone else!?" Azure asked, Riley still on his back. Kneeling down beside him, John fired away into the Grimm horde before replying.

"They've probably climbed the cliff already. We should do the same." He said.

"And just how do you expect us to do that? The bridge is out and Riley clearly can't climb." Gemina countered, firing several bombs into the distance, taking out multiple Grimm with each shot, but two more took the place of every one that died.

"Easy. Harpy can carry us up. Harpy, please deploy your shield." Harpy squawked at John's orders, and promptly deployed the shield flat out on the ground. A nearby howl caused John to kill its perpetrator before he spoke again.

"Shit, they're getting closer. Azure, put Riley on the shield now! Harpy, bring her up top and then come back here for the rest of us. We'll hold out until you do!" John ordered, firing away as he did so. He was thankful the Grimm couldn't shoot back, or this fight would be much harder.

Behind him, Azure scrambled to obey, placing Riley down on the shield and drawing his knives. Then, Harpy was away, carrying Riley to the top of the cliff, while below him, John fired away, while Azure took care of any Grimm that got too close. On either side of them, Gemina fired explosives into the horde's midst... Wait, on either side of them?

John looked around and saw that there were indeed two Geminas fighting in the clearing with him. Assuming that it had something to do with her semblance, John refrained from speaking, and focused on the task at hand. He considered summoning assistance, but decided against it. His aura was depleted enough from fighting in the forest, and taking more of it away would leave him vulnerable. Looking down at Aries, who was firing his own bolts of orange light into the horde, John spoke an order.

"Aries, I want you to aim for the regular Grimm, while I take care of the Alphas." In response, Aries barked an affirmative, and blasted apart a nearby Beowulf. Moments later, an alpha beowulf fell apart in a spray of orange light. However, for all their efforts, the trio was slowly getting pushed back, until they were mere feet away from the edge of the cliff. With nowhere to run, they all knew that their only choice was to hold out or die, and none of them were ready to meet their end.

Pulling the trigger once more, John sent another shot into the chest of an Ursa. The monster disintegrated before it could even roar in pain, but John's didn't let his attention linger on its quickly disappearing corpse. Instead he turned to his next target, another Alpha Beowolf that had gotten too close for comfort. He fired at it, aiming for the chest, but ended up barely grazing its shoulder. He was about to fire another beam straight through its skull, but before he could do so a small ball struck its chest and detonated.

"That was my kill!" He shouted at Gemina, firing again as he did so.

"I didn't see your name on it!" The two Geminas shouted back in unison, a playful edge to their voice as they fired more explosives into the horde's midst.

After what seemed like an eternity, Harpy floated back down, deploying his shield once more.

"Azure, your turn!" John called out, and the boy in question didn't hesitate to obey, hopping onto the shield and allowing the summoned Watcher to carry him into the air. Thankfully, there were no Nevermores in the area, or else flying up the cliff would have been much more difficult.

A few moments later Harpy was back again.

"Alright Gemina, get on!" John ordered, splitting Atomizer into melee form and decapitating a Beowulf. The girl stepped onto the shield without comment, while her clone stayed on the ground, fighting back to back with John. As the real Gemina ascended away, she continued firing explosives into the midst of the Grimm, until finally, she was out of range. Moments later, the girl's clone faded away, and John was alone.

"And then there was one." He muttered to himself as he held his ground, slashing away at any Grimm foolish enough to approach him. However, for all his skill, one of the Grimm got through, and the Ursa in question landed a hit, sending him to the ground. Towering over his aura-depleted form, the monster prepared to give a killing blow... Only for its head to explode, as a distant shot rang out from the top of the cliff. Quickly glancing back, he saw Ruby kneeling at the top of the cliff, Crescent Rose in sniper form. Beside her stood Pyrrha, taking aim at a target of her own. As he saluted them, he saw Blake and the unknown green wearing boy arrive and open fire, aiming at more distant parts of the horde so as not to accidentally hit him. Bright red bolts of light from Yang's weapons began raining down on the cliff, and finally, Nora and Gemina opened fire, using their grenade launchers like mortars to send explosive death down onto the cliff.

Several more moments of battle passed, before he heard a familiar squawk behind him. Harpy had come back for him. Dismissing Aries, John ran back to the edge of the cliff, and was about to reach the shield when a Beowulf leaped at him from behind, a shot from Ruby narrowly missing it. Slamming into him, the monster tackled him off the cliff, latching onto him in an attempt to kill him before he fell. A falchion to the gut ended the beast, but John was still falling. Then, a blue shield appeared below him, and he came to a sudden halt, feeling pain shoot through his chest as it impacted hard light. For a second, he just lay there, watching the ground recede below him as he tried to slow his rapidly beating heart.

"Cutting it a bit close there, weren't you?" John asked after a few moments of recuperation, pain giving way to happiness, as he realized that he was still alive. Slowly, he began to laugh, pulling Atomizer from his back and firing into the baying horde that still stood, howling at the edge of the cliff.

Soon, he arrived at the top of the cliff, where Azure hoisted him to his feet, while the rest of those present broke out in cheers. They were alive! They had passed initiation! They were now students of Beacon Academy! They... They were very tired, hungry, and hurting all over.

"You alright John?" Ruby spoke first, walking up to where he stood, leaning against Atomizer.

"Yeah. Why wouldn't I be?" He laughed.

"Well, you did just fight a horde of Grimm and fall off a cliff..." Azure said.

"Don't worry. I'm fine. Thanks for the help." He answered.

"You're welcome." Pyrrha replied, her words echoed by the rest of the group. That was when John remembered something.

"So, what happened to the Deathstalker and Nevermore?" He asked, turning to Ruby.

"The Deathstalker fell into the ravine and I decapitated the Nevermore." The girl replied, and John blinked in surprise.

"Wait, did you just say that you DECAPITATED a Nevermore!?" He asked.

"Yep." She said, popping the P, and giggled a little. John stood there for a moment, shocked out of his mind, before he could reply.

"So... how did you manage to do that?" He asked lamely.

"Teamwork." She said simply, giggling again.

"Alright, whatever. What do we do now?" Azure broke up the conversation.

"Now, the hard part begins." All eyes turned to the speaker. There stood Professor Ozpin, cane and mug in hand. At his side stood Glynda Goodwitch, holding a datapad under her arm and a riding crop in her hand.

"Congratulations on passing initiation. Consider yourselves accepted into Beacon." Glynda addressed them, and the group broke out into cheers once more. Then, it was Ozpin's turn to speak.

"Please make your way to to the auditorium for presentation and assignment for your new teams. It will start in ten minutes, so do not be late." The professor paused, then turned to Riley.

"Miss Resonance, when you arrive there will be medical personnel there to inspect and judge the current state of your injury. However one of your teammates will have to carry you there." Riley nodded at that, and Ozpin turned away, Glynda following right behind him.

For a moment, the students were silent. It was Yang who spoke first.

"Well, what are we waiting for? Let's go!" The blonde girl yelled, and began to run towards Beacon, her sister following close behind her. The rest of the group followed at their own pace, with Azure and Gemina bringing up the rear, supporting Riley between them.

* * *

They made it to the auditorium with time to spare. Riley's ankle was given a quick examination, and was pronounced as fractured. She would have to report to the infirmary after the ceremony, but for now, she was just happy to have finally joined Beacon. The initiates who had passed- and there were much fewer students coming out of initiation than had entered the forest- waited patiently to be called up to the stage.

"Jaune Arc, Lie Ren, Pyrrha Nikos, Nora Valkyrie." The four named students marched up onto the stage, heads held high and arms behind their backs, standing proud in front of their fellow students.

"You four retrieved the white rook pieces. From this day forward you will work together as... Team Juniper, led by... Jaune Arc." Ozpin declared, and the crowd applauded, at least until Pyrrha gave Jaune what was supposed to be a congratulatory slap on the back. It ended up knocking the boy to the ground, and caused the entire auditorium to break out in laughter, John included.

After the newly named Team Juniper left the stage, Ozpin spoke again.

"John Midori, Azure Peacock, Gemina Dopple, Riley Resonance." John walked up onto the stage, Azure right behind him. Bringing up the rear were Gemina and Riley, who were leaning against each other for support. Now it was their turn to stand proud upon the stage and be formally recognized as a team.

"You four retrieved the white king pieces. Therefore, you will now be known as... Team Jaguar. Led by... John Midori." The headmaster declared, and for a moment, John was flabbergasted. He was the team leader? Hiding his shock, he put on a proud smile.

"Ha ha! Congrats man!" Azure cheered from beside him, before wrapping him in a headlock and giving him a noogie.

"Azure! Stop it! Ow, Azure stop it!" John choked out in between bouts of laughter. Eventually, Azure released him, and John punched his shoulder, causing him to laugh it off in turn. Then, he took the opportunity to see his other two teammates' reactions. Riley was smiling, even if it was a bit strained due to her injury, while Gemina was impassive. That was about when Ozpin cleared his throat, and the newly formed Team Jaguar made its way off stage, to make room for the final team to be formed that day.

"Blake Belladonna, Ruby Rose, Weiss Schnee, and Yang Xiao Long." Their names finally called, the four girls walked up to the stage.

"The four of you retrieved the white knight pieces. From this day forward you will work together as... team Ruby, Led by... Ruby Rose." Ruby had a few moments to blink in surprise when she was made leader before Yang took the opportunity to crush her in a bear hug.

"I'm so proud of you!" The blonde cheered as she squeezed her older sister. Silently, John congratulated the young girl as well. However, throughout all the applause, he did catch Ozpin's parting words to the group.

"Looks like things are shaping up to be an, interesting year." The silver-haired man said, before walking off the stage, leaving the students to go eat dinner and get ready for sleep. Classes started tomorrow, after all!

* * *

John awoke to the sound of his scroll beeping. His breath caught for a moment at the sight of an unfamiliar ceiling, before he remembered that he was at Beacon now, and had nothing to worry about. Blinking his eyes shut against the morning light coming through the window, he groped around blindly for his scroll, finally grabbing the beeping device and shutting off the alarm. He lay in his bed for a few minutes afterward, before finally getting up, stretching as he got out of bed. At the foot of the bed, he saw Aries, the Crawler having kept a vigil over the room through the night.

Looking around the room, he saw that the rest of its occupants were still peacefully asleep. Their beds had been moved together to make room for their belongings, to the point where John and Azure's were almost touching. A similar arrangement had been made on the other side of the room, where the two girls slept.

The rest of the room was fairly well furnished, its desk currently being occupied by Gemina's still-packed luggage. The room's two closets were on opposite sides of the room, the agreement being that one was for the boys, and the other for the girls.

Glancing up at the clock, John saw that he still had an hour before breakfast started, but after a quick look around the room, he saw that there was still much work to be done with regards to unpacking their belongings, so he decided to wake his team.

Walking over to Riley first, he gently shook the girl, who promptly rolled away, shoving her head into her pillow, groaning softly as she did so.

"Come on Riley, get up. I need you to wake up Gemina, because I do not want her angry at me this early in the morning." He said, poking the bat faunus girl again.

"Don't wanna. More sleep." She mumbled into the pillow.

"Riley, please. What if I wake her up and she tries to hurt me?" He asked.

"Then I'll say something memorable at your funeral. Now go away." Riley replied, curling deeper into the pillow. John sighed at that.

"We have our first day of classes today, and I'm sure we both want to have breakfast before we have to go there, so I suggest you wake up now." He said, causing Riley to groan, but after a few moments, the Faunus girl sat up, rubbing her eyes.

"Thank you. Now you wake up Gemina and I'll wake up Azure." John said, after giving the tired girl a few moments to wake herself up fully.

"Okay..." Riley said groggily, and rolled over to Gemina's side, proceeding to shake the blonde awake.

Meanwhile, John walked to the other side of the room where Azure still slept, and promptly began to wake his last sleeping teammate.

"Azure, wake up." When Azure didn't respond to that, John frowned and tried again.

"Azure. Seriously, wake up. We have classes today, and I don't want to miss breakfast because you slept in." However, the other boy didn't even stir.

"Just dump some water on his head. That'll wake him up." A sleepy Gemina suggested as she stood up from her bed, stretching as she did so.

"Good idea." John replied, before he grabbed a glass and went to the bathroom. He emerged a few moments later, full glass in hand.

"Oh, and whoever wants can call first dibs on the shower!" He called out. Moments later, a black blur shot past him and into the bathroom, slamming the door behind her. The click of the door locking echoed through the stunned silence of the room.

"Okay... Looks like Riley gets first dibs." John muttered, shocked at the speed of how the girl moved. Gemina merely shrugged, as if this were a normal occurrence, before walking over to her suitcase to start unpacking her belongings.

The question of the first shower settled, John walked up to Azure once more.

"Hey, if you don't wake up now, I'm taking this water and dumping it on your head." He said, shaking the sleeping boy. When no response came, John sighed.

"Okay, don't say I didn't warn you!" And with those words, the glass was flipped, and a sputtering Azure leaped out of bed.

"Ah! What the-Wha!?" He gasped, as Gemina laughed at the spectacle from her corner of the room.

"What the hell was that for?" Azure demanded as his eyes settled on John, who was trying very hard not to laugh as well.

"You weren't waking up, and I wanted the team to eat breakfast before going down to class. Come on, we should unpack and shower. Speaking of which, you woke up last, so you're taking last shower." John replied, before pulling his suitcase up onto his bed and starting to sort through his belongings.

"Whatever." Azure groaned, wiping his face on the curtain before starting to unpack his own suitcase.

A few minutes later, the door to the bathroom opened. Looking up, John saw a red-faced Riley emerge, wearing only a bath towel. Her spiky hair was now limp and covering her human ears, which were doubtlessly as red as her face. After a few dumbstruck moments, he tore his gaze away from the almost-naked girl and back to his bag.

"Gemina, can you please get my uniform? It's under my bed by my suitcase." The Faunus girl mumbled, pulling the towel tighter around herself.

"Sure thing." Gemina replied, before crouching down beside Riley's bed, reaching under it to search for the uniform in question. For a few moments, the room was silent.

"Uh, A-Azure. Can you please s-stop staring at me?" Riley mumbled, and John turned to look at his partner. As it turned out, Azure was indeed staring, his mouth slightly open and looking rather ridiculous. Deciding to preserve his roommate's dignity, John leaned over and smacked the other boy upside the head.

"Sheesh Azure, could you show some decency?" He demanded as the other boy rubbed the back of his head.

"Uh, s-sorry." He said sheepishly, looking down at his knees.

"Got it." Gemina said from across the room, having finally found the uniform, "Here you go."

"Thanks." Riley replied, before zipping back into the bathroom and closing the door.

For a moment, the room was silent again, before John spoke up, a teasing smile on his face.

"So, does someone have a crush on his teammate?" He asked, nudging his male teammate as he did so.

Azure's face went red at that, and before the boy could splutter out a response, John continued.

"Come on Azure. Don't act like you weren't ogling her body just now." His smile got bigger as Azure attempted to splutter out denials.

"I mean, we both saw you staring. What did you like the most, hmm? Was it her long pale legs? Or was it-" John was interrupted by a pillow to the face, courtesy of Gemina. Evidently, she had thrown the first thing she could get her hands on at him.

"That's my best friend you're talking about!" The blonde yelled at him, furious.

"Gemina! Calm down. I didn't mean any of it. I was only saying that to tease Azure-" John's hurried response died on his lips as he saw the expression on his teammate's face.

"I don't give a damn! As soon as Riley comes out again, both of you are going to apologize, or-"

"Or what?" Azure cut his teammate off. Gemina growled in response and stalked over to him, fists clenched. Drawing back her hand, she prepared to punch Azure for his remark, when the bathroom door opened.

"Gemina? What's going on?" Riley asked, now wearing her uniform.

"These two were talking about you behind your back! I was making sure they knew who they'd have to answer to for it." Gemina growled, but the punch never came.

"Please Gemina, they... They don't seem like those kinds of people." Riley protested.

"Really? Better safe than sorry, in my opinion." Gemina replied.

"Everyone, be quiet!" John interjected.

"Oh, you want some too?" Gemina demanded, focused on him now.

"We're a team now. That means no fighting each other. As your leader, I forbid you from doing so." John replied, meeting the angry girl's gaze.

"He's right. We're a team, and that means we have to stick together." Riley added. For a moment, Gemina stood there, before, with a visible amount of effort, she forced herself to relax.

"Fine." The blonde muttered, before walking up to her team leader, leaning in close so that only he could hear what she was about to say.

"We may be teammates, but if I EVER hear you talking like that about my friend... They will never find your body." She hissed, before turning and walking out of the room, Riley following right behind her.

"Sheesh, what's up with her?" Azure complained.

"I don't know. Anyway, let's go get breakfast. I'm starving." John replied, before standing up and leaving the room, Aries at his side.

* * *

Nearly half an hour later, Team JAGR walked through the door to Professor Port's class and took a seat in the second row. John ended up next to Gemina, as the girl had ensured that Riley sat on the edge, and Azure wasn't going anywhere near her. Other students began to file in, although teams RWBY and JNPR were conspicuously missing. The bell was just about to ring when the door burst open, and the two exhausted teams sprinted through, quickly finding their seats.

"Okay students, take your seats and quiet down please." Professor Port, a large, distinguished looking man, said as he walked into the classroom. Striding up pompously to the front of the room, he cleared his throat, an action that caused his impressive moustache to twitch, and began to teach.

"Monsters! Demons! Prowlers of the night! Yes, the creatures of Grimm have many names, but I just refer to them as prey. HA HA!" Que awkward silence, as the students tried to figure out how to respond.

"Uh... And you will too, upon graduating from this prestigious academy!" Port finished lamely, before launching into a long-winded tale about his younger self's exploits. Soon, almost all the class had tuned him out.

"This is the kind of time I wish I had the ability to speed up time instead of slowing it down." Azure muttered from beside him, absentmindedly balancing a throwing knife on his finger.

"Same." John replied. A minute or so passed before he heard a strange scraping noise coming from Azure's seat. Looking over, he saw his partner using his throwing knife to carve a block of wood!

"Azure? What are you doing?" John asked.

"What's it look like? I'm carving. Got to do something to keep myself occupied." Azure replied, not taking his eyes off his project.

"Where did you even get the wood?" John asked incredulously. In response, Azure pointed at the chair on his right. Looking down, John saw that one of the legs of the chair was shorter then the rest.

"Oh... Alright. What are you carving?" John asked.

"It's a secret." Azure replied.

"Come on, you can tell me!" John replied, moments before an elbow buried itself in his side. Looking to his left, he saw Gemina looking angrily at him.

"Why aren't you paying attention? I thought you were supposed to lead by example!" The blonde hissed at him.

In the row below him, he heard a soft snicker, and looking down he saw Ruby showing her teammates a crude caricature of their teacher.

"It's not like you're paying attention either." John replied, having heard the blonde talking with Riley moments before.

"The moral of the story?" Port's voice suddenly cut into his thoughts, as the teacher began to wrap up his lecture.

"A true huntsman must be honorable! A true huntsman must be dependable! A true huntsman must be strategic, well educated, and wise." Looking down once more, he saw Weiss glaring at Ruby, who was picking her nose.

"So! Who among you believes themselves to be the embodiment of these traits?" Port finished, and moments later Weiss raised her hand.

"I do sir!" The white-haired girl declared, and the teacher's moustache twitched.

"Well then... Let's find out!" Port replied, gesturing to a cage in the corner of the room. From within, John heard something growl and rattle at the bars.

"How did we not notice that when we came in?" John asked as the Schnee Heiress stomped out to get her gear.

"I... Don't know." Riley said from Gemina's side.

"Anyway, looks like Schnee's about to fight something. I wonder what it is." Azure added.

"Probably a Boarbatusk. The professor did talk an awfully lot about them during his... Story." Riley piped up, causing the rest of the team to look at her.

"What? I've got two sets of ears, and I use them both!" The girl replied.

A few minutes later Weiss came back in, dressed in her white combat skirt and her weapon in hand. The monster in the cage, as if sensing its impending freedom, began banging at its cage door, itching for a fight. From where they were seating, Team RWBY cheered for Weiss, adding to the noise in the room.

"Go Weiss!" Yang yelled.

"Fight well!" Blake said, waving a small Team RWBY flag, although where she had gotten that from John had no idea.

"Yeah! Represent team RWBY!" Ruby added enthusiastically.

"Ruby! I'm trying to focus!" Weiss snapped back at her team leader.

"Oh. Sorry." Ruby replied, deflated.

"Everyone on her team said something but she only yells at Ruby... Ten lien says she's jealous." Aries looked up at him from his position on his master's lap, as if asking something. John nodded, and the mechanical creature poked its head up above the desk so as to better watch the fight.

"Alright! Let the match... Begin!" With those words, Professor Port raised his weapon, a combination blunderbuss/axe, and swung it down, breaking the lock and freeing the monster in the cage.

"I told you!" Riley said as a Boarbatusk ran out into the room. Quickly spotting Weiss, the porcine Grimm charged at her. Weiss' response was to side-step and slash at the monster's side, but the strike glanced off the bony armor on the beast's side.

Whirling around, the Grimm prepared to charge again.

"Ha ha! Weren't expecting that now, were you?" Professor Port called out from the sidelines.

"Hang in there Weiss!" Ruby cheered from her seat.

A few seconds passed as the two opponents sized each other up, before both Weiss and Grimm charged. As luck would have it, Weiss' strike caught the Boarbatusk directly on its forehead... And promptly glanced off the bony plate, trapping the weapon behind the monster's tusks.

"A bold new approach! I like it!" Port commented from where he stood, weapon in hand in case the worst happened.

"Come on Weiss! Show it who's boss!" Ruby cheered as Weiss struggled to free her weapon, causing the white haired girl to look away. The Boarbatusk took advantage of the girl's distraction, and wrenched her rapier out of her hands, before knocking her to the ground.

"Ho ho! What will you do without your weapon?"Port commented, as the Boarbatusk prepared to rush again. However, a glyph materialized below the unarmed Weiss, catapulting her over her foe. Unable to turn around in time, the monster slammed into a wall, dazing itself and allowing Weiss to grab her weapon once more.

"Weiss! Go for its belly! There's no armor underneath-!" Ruby yelled from the sidelines, only for Weiss to cut her off.

"Stop telling me what to do!" The white-haired girl snapped back, once again diverting her attention from her opponent.

"I've never seen someone so against helpful advice." John commented.

"Everyone who has passed basic Grimm studies knows where to hit a Boarbatusk. That girl's just stating the obvious." Gemina answered.

"That's true, but why is Weiss responding like that? If she already knew what her leader told her, why is she snapping back instead of ending the fight?" Riley asked.

"You have a point. She is too easily distracted." Gemina answered. As she spoke, the Boarbatusk got to its feet, facing Weiss before curling up and spinning, turning itself into a deadly projectile that shot towards its opponent... Only for a glyph to pop up in its path. The monster slammed into the circular barrier and fell on its back, leaving its belly unprotected. A single glyph-assisted strike was enough to end the monster's life, concluding the lesson.

"'Don't tell me what to do!' she says, and yet she does it anyway." Azure commented.

"Anyone would have done the same. It's not like that weak point is secret or anything." Gemina replied.

"Bravo! Bravo! It appears that we are in the presence of a true Huntress." Port exclaimed as Weiss removed her weapon from the creature's entrails.

"I'm afraid that's all we have time for today. Class dismissed... And remember, stay vigilant!" With those words, the portly professor dismissed the class, and the students began to file out. Shooting an angry look at her team leader, Weiss stormed out of the room ahead of the rest of her team.

Team JAGR stood up after the majority of the doorway's congestion had cleared up, having taken the opportunity to pack up and check their belongings. As he headed for the door, John turned to his teammates.

"You guys go on ahead. I'll catch up." He said, and before they could respond, he ran off, Aries in tow. Soon, he arrived at an intersection. Summoning Harpy, he gave his orders.

"Harpy, go left. Aries, go right. I'll go center. Notify me if you see Ruby or Weiss." He said, and they were off. He honestly didn't know why exactly he wanted to talk to Ruby. After all, he was butting into her team's business, which had nothing to do with his own.

Then, he remembered the downcast look on the girl's face when Weiss had stormed out of the room. He hated seeing that look on the face of the first person that he could call a true friend.

It was Harpy who reported in first, in that strange, pseudo-telepathic manner possessed by all his summoned. It seemed to be the mental equivalent of a nod, as if Harpy was reporting in the positive.

"Did you find her?" John asked, trying to think his answer rather than say it aloud. Another mental nod.

"Where are you?" At that, an image of a corridor popped into his head, along with a strange feeling of knowing exactly where to go.

"Aries, come to me." He ordered via the mental link as he began to walk towards the hall where, to the best of his knowledge, his friend was located.

Following that strange instinct provided to him by Harpy, John quickly navigated the corridors of Beacon until he arrived at his destination. Along the way, he passed by Professor Ozpin, exchanging some quick greetings with the man before moving on.

Ruby was standing outside on a balcony when he arrived, several minutes later.

"Hey Ruby! How's it going?" He greeted her as he walked out. The girl jumped a little, startled by his sudden approach.

"Oh! Hey John!" She replied once she saw who had spoken.

"So, is everything good with the team?" He asked. Ruby's smile faded slightly.

"Well... We have a few problems, but I'm sure we'll solve them soon! What about you?" She asked.

"Same here. Hopefully, what problems our team has will be ironed out soon enough." John replied. For a moment, the balcony was silent.

"John?" Ruby asked, breaking the silence.

"Yeah?"

"Do you think Ozpin made the right decision? You know, about me being team leader?" The red-caped girl asked.

"I think so. I mean, it's really too soon to tell, but from what I heard you did a pretty good job coming up with a plan to kill that Nevermore... So yeah, I think Ozpin made the right decision." John answered after a few moments of thought. Truth be told, he had many of the same doubts as Ruby. Why did Ozpin make him team leader? After all, the process seemed rather arbitrary to him.

"Really?" Ruby asked.

"Sure. Give it some time, and I'm sure we'll both be great leaders." John replied.

"How much time do you think?" Ruby asked.

"You were picking your nose. You tell me." He replied with a teasing smile.

"You saw that?" Ruby mumbled, flushed in embarrassment.

"I wasn't the only one. I think that's what set Weiss off." John answered.

"Anyway, it doesn't matter if we think we're great leaders or not, because whether we like it or not, we are leaders. That means we have to do our best, not just for ourselves, but for our teams. It means shouldering the burden for our teammates when they cannot move on. It means taking responsibility for your team's actions. It means sharing all things and experiences, good and bad, with those under your command, and I wouldn't trade it away for the world... After all, I can't just hand off leadership to Azure, now could I?" He finished, congratulating himself on his speech. Sure he may have quoted the Beacon School Handbook a few times, but he thought he'd pulled it off just fine.

"Yeah... I guess Ozpin wouldn't have made me leader if he didn't think I was up to it. Thanks for cheering me up." Ruby replied with a smile.

"Your welcome." John answered back with a smile of his own. For a while, the balcony was silent, before Ruby spoke up.

"Oh, I should go talk to Weiss. She's probably still angry at me..." The girl said, preparing to turn and leave when the bell rang.

"Oh my gosh, we're going to be late!" Ruby gasped, before disappearing in a flurry of rose petals.

"Ruby! Wait for me!" John called out as he ran after her, heading to his next class.

* * *

 **Well, that's all for now! Please review and tell me what you think! Seriously, I didn't get very many reviews last chapter and I want to know what you think, all 55 of you. I hope you enjoyed, and I'll see you next time.**


	5. Chapter 5 - Closer Connections

**A/N: Welcome. To chapter 5. It's short, I know. But it's necessary. I just want to take a moment to thank everyone for their support in my story. I really appreciate it.**

 **Reviews**

 **WinstontheNinja: Happy to see your continuing support in my story!**

 **edboy4926: Glad you like it.**

 **BrutusSilentium: Happy to see that you like it.**

* * *

Remnant's Reclamation

* * *

"That was an embarrassment." Azure commented as Cardin and Jaune's match came to an end in its usual manner. Jaune had lost, again, without having scored a single hit on Cardin, as evidenced by the boy's aura. Honestly, John sometimes wondered how someone like him could get into Beacon.

"No offense to Jaune, but I have to agree." John nodded.

"No one asked for your opinion." Gemina nipped the conversation in the bud, causing the two boys on the team to turn to her. However, before they could retort, Riley spoke up.

"Gemina, be nice." The faunus girl said, and as usual, Gemina sighed and didn't respond.

Team JAGR had developed an interesting dynamic over the past few weeks, with Azure and John on one side, Gemina on the other, and Riley moderating their frequent arguments. John thought it was a miracle that nothing truly awful had happened to his team yet, given how Gemina seemed just as eager to shoot him and Azure as she was to aim at the Grimm. Hell, with her semblance, there was no reason she could not do both at the same time. However, all of John's attempts to talk her down had ended in narrowly avoided disaster, usually averted only thanks to Riley's intervention.

John had tried to pry some information on Gemina out of his faunus teammate, whom he knew was the volatile girl's childhood friend, but every time the conversation turned to the topic, Riley always seemed to find something new that required her immediate attention and took off.

Soon, John's team entered the cafeteria, the large hall already crowded with students. They grabbed some food and made their way to team RWBY and JPNR's table, with Yang and Ruby waving them over.

"Hey guys. What's on the conversational agenda for today?" John asked as they all sat down, John settling down between Ruby and Gemina. This left Riley and Azure together on the other side of the table.

"Nora's been talking about a dream she's apparently been having for months." Yang said.

"Maybe you should take her to the doctors. Or a psychiatrist. Actually seeing a psychiatrist may solve more then one problem for Nora." Gemina spoke up once she heard that particular tidbit, looking at Ren as she spoke. If the barb about his friend annoyed him, the quiet boy gave no outward sign of it.

"Nora doesn't go to the doctors anymore unless it's an emergency." Ren replied instead.

"Why is that?" Gemina asked, puzzled.

"Because the last time she did, she destroyed almost two thousand lien worth of equipment and broke one of the doctor's legs. If I were to take her to a a psychiatrist she might do the same thing. The only time she goes to the doctors is if she is unconscious, or feeling so bad she can't object." Ren explained calmly, his eyes fixed on Gemina, analyzing her.

"Why would she do something like that?!" Gemina exclaimed, glancing cautiously at the girl in question, who was gleefully munching on a pastry of some sort.

"She hates needles." Ren replied simply.

"That doesn't even make any sense!"

"It doesn't have to, but so long as Nora dislikes something, she tries to smash it." Ren replied.

"So... What else does Nora hate?" Gemina asked hesitantly.

"The usual. Broccoli, Grimm, and things I don't like." Ren replied.

As Ren and Gemina continued to talk, with Ren making subtle insinuations about his capability to sic Nora on anyone who annoyed him, John turned to Ruby.

"So... Have you and Weiss made up yet?" John asked the younger girl. She took a sip from her glass of milk before replying.

"Yup! Things are much better now, and, she says that she's going to be the best teammate ever, and I believe her!" She said happily.

"Really?" Ruby nodded as he spoke. "Mind telling me how this happened?" At that, Ruby nodded and launched into a brief explanation of what had occurred between her and the Schnee Heiress.

"Wow... That seems a little... out of the blue, but whatever! I'm just happy that you two are on good terms now." John answered. Ruby picked at her food for a moment before she spoke up again.

"What about you and Gemina? Did you..." She hesitated, as if trying to find the right words.

"No... No we did not." John sighed, shaking his head.

"Is... Is there anything I can do to help?" Ruby asked. For a moment, John considered her words before shaking his head.

"No. This is something I have to figure out myself. It's my responsibility as a leader, after all." He replied, and Ruby nodded.

"Alright, but if you ever need my help, you just have to ask!" She replied, and John smiled.

"I'll keep that in mind." He said, before turning back to his meal. As he did so, he caught sight of Jaune.

His fellow team leader was absentmindedly picking at his food, although he had yet to eat anything. Beside him, Pyrrha looked concerned at her teammate's behavior.

"Jaune... Are you okay?" She finally asked.

"Huh? Oh yeah. I'm fine." Jaune replied unconvincingly, looking up from his thoughts.

"Are you sure? Because you seem a little... Not fine." Ruby interjected, her voice laced with skepticism.

"Guys! Really! I'm fine!" Jaune answered evasively, laughing nervously, a fake smile on his face. As he did so, his eyes moved across the room, and John followed his gaze to see Cardin and his team standing around an unfamiliar brown-haired girl. A single glance was enough for John to see that the girl was a Faunus.

"Jaune, Cardin has been picking on you since the first week of school." Pyrrha answered, worry clear on her face. Jaune's response was to feign ignorance.

"Who? Cardin Winchester? Nah, he just likes to mess around, you know. Practical jokes!"

"He's a bully." Ruby answered angrily, giving voice to everyone's thoughts.

"I agree." John added.

"Oh please. Name one time he's ever 'bullied' me." Jaune said, his fingers raised in a classic air-quoting position, as if the action would dismiss all claims of the fact.

"Practical jokes." John deadpanned.

"So all those times he's knocked your books out of your hands in the hallway were practical jokes?" Yang asked.

"Or what about the time when he activated your shield so that you got stuck in a doorway? Was that just a joke?" Blake demanded.

"Or the time that Cardin almost crushed you to death with his mace. Which, I might add, happened barely ten minutes ago?" Azure added.

"And of course, that hilarious moment when he pushed you into the rocket locker and sent you into the forest? That was such a good joke!" John finished, his words laden with sarcasm. For a moment, Jaune was speechless.

"I didn't land that far from the school." He finally said, lamely defending himself.

"My team was sent to retrieve you Jaune, don't bother lying about it." John replied, causing Jaune to wince at the memory. That had certainly been humiliating.

"You know that if you ever need help you can just ask." Pyrrha piped up from her leader's side. The mention of help caused Nora to jump to her feet.

"Oh! We'll break his legs!" She exclaimed, a dangerous glint in her eyes.

"Not again." Ren said softly and pinched his nose. Gemina blanched at that.

"Guys, really, it's fine! Besides, he's not just a jerk to me. He's a jerk to everybody!" Jaune replied, getting to his feet. that was when a cry of pain drew the table's attention.

"OW! That hurts!" Twelve pairs of eyes swiveled to see Cardin pulling the faunus girl's ears, the rest of his team laughing at her pain. John looked around for the girl's teammates, but they were nowhere in sight.

"Please stop!" The girl's plea was met with more laughter and another painful yank.

"I told you they were real!" Cardin said, the rest of his team laughing along.

"What a freak!" One of the bully's teammates, Russel Thrush if John remembered correctly, answered. That was cause for another painful yank and another round of laughter.

"Atrocious. I can't stand people like him!" Pyrrha growled as she watched the spectacle.

"Your not the only one." Blake added, her eyes narrowed.

Another cry of pain, and Cardin suddenly released the girl's ears, causing her to fall to the ground.

"How pathetic! She can't even stand on her own!" Cardin exclaimed, to howls of laughter from his teammates.

"Leave her alone, asshole!" John's head spun around as he looked at the speaker. His eyes widened as he saw Riley standing up, the normally timid girl's face twisted in fury.

"Oh yeah? And what if I don't?" Cardin demanded, a cocky sneer on his face as he kicked his victim one more time.

"Then I'll kick your ass." Riley replied, her voice uncharacteristically firm. Cardin's attention was now fixed squarely on her, allowing the other girl to make a quick getaway. Cardin laughed in response.

"Last time I checked, it was four against one. I'd like to see you try." He said, his teammates getting to their feet as he spoke.

"I'll fight you too." Gemina answered, rising to her feet, hands clenched into fists.

"Oh, so both the animal and her owner want to fight! How cute!" Cardin laughed at that.

"You call other people animals, and yet you all felt the need to gang up on one girl... Seems to me like you're the animals here." John spoke up as he walked up to stand beside his teammates, Azure right behind him. For a moment, Gemina looked shocked at their actions, before she turned her attention back to Cardin. The bigger boy was glaring at all four of them, but had yet to make a move.

"We'll give you one chance to walk away from this." John said after a few moments of tense standoff. Cardin's response was to laugh.

"As if you could beat us!" He exclaimed, the rest of his team laughing along with him.

"And us as well?" At that, John looked around to see Ruby and her teammates joining them, the younger girl staring daggers at Cardin as she spoke. For a moment, Cardin held her stare, before he frowned and looked away.

"Whatever. We have more important things to do then deal with you losers." The boy said, before he turned to his teammates.

"Let's go." With those words, team CRDL walked out of the cafeteria. John looked around to see the entire room staring at them, having been watching the confrontation. Already though, their attention was returning to their meals, and soon the room had returned to its normal state of buzzing with quiet conversation.

After a moment, John decided to do the same, and sat back down. Meanwhile, Riley had turned to the other faunus girl.

"Are you okay?" She asked.

"Yes... Thank you." The other girl replied, speaking with a noticeable Menagerian accent. Riley smiled softly in response, returning to her normal demeanor.

"My pleasure. Whats your name?" She asked.

"Velvet. Velvet Scarlatina." The rabbit faunus, Velvet, said.

"It's nice to meet you Velvet. Would you like to sit here with us?" Riley asked. Velvet hesitated for a moment, before shaking her head.

"No thank you. I was just about to go and meet up with some of my friends." She replied, and Riley nodded.

"Alright. You should probably tell your team about this, to prevent things like it from happening from again." Riley said, and Velvet nodded.

"I will. And thank you again." She said, before walking out of the cafeteria, using a different door than Team CRDL. For a moment, the table was silent, before Riley spoke up.

"Thank you." She murmured.

"For what?" John asked.

"For backing me up." Riley replied, smiling once more.

"You're welcome. What kind of friends would we be if we didn't stick together and help each other out?" John answered, causing Riley to blink.

"Friends... Yeah, that's what friends are for, aren't they?" For a moment, Riley's face became distant, as if she was remembering something in her past, before she shook her head.

"Anyway, thanks again. I'm just glad that didn't turn into a fight." The bat Faunus finished.

"I wish it had! I really wanted a reason to beat them til their balls turned blue!" Yang exclaimed. That mental image caused John to shift in his seat.

"What made you decide to help us?" John asked team RWBY after a few moments. It was Weiss who responded first.

"You can thank our team leader for that. Now if you'll excuse me, I have to finish my nails." The heiress said, before sitting back down and continued filing her nails.

"Well, thank you Ruby." John said, turning to the younger girl.

"You're welcome John. I couldn't let you guys get in trouble for beating them up, after all. Or at least, I wanted to beat them up with you!" She exclaimed in response. John laughed at that.

"And now I can see why you and Yang are sisters. Anyway, thanks again. Now, let's finish our lunch, shall we?"

* * *

Several days had passed since the confrontation with Team CRDL, and classes had just ended. As usual, the teams returned to their dorms. In the case of Team JAGR, it was a mostly quiet time, with everyone in their own corner of the room, doing their own thing. Gemina was lying on her bed, reading a magazine that she held open above her head. Azure was sharpening his weapons, the constant scraping of steel over whetstone the only real noise in the room. Similarly, Riley was sitting at the room's desk, her weapon opened up and in pieces as she cleaned and calibrated it. That left John, who passed the time bored on the floor, staring up at the featureless ceiling.

"So, whats new?" He asked after a long while.

"Nothing." Everyone answered simultaneously, not even bothering to look up from their work.

"Really? Nothing at all?" John asked, his bored mind demanding entertainment. Unfortunately for it, nobody bothered to respond.

"So... Are you guys looking forward to Port's test?" He tried again. This time, he got a response, as Azure momentarily paused in his sharpening and gave him an exasperated look.

"John, we're all trying to do something here. Why don't you go find something yourself?" The other boy said.

John looked at her and said, "Like what?"

"I don't know." He said shrugging, "Read a book?"

"Nah, I don't feel like it."

"What about cleaning your weapon?" Riley offered.

"Doesn't need to be cleaned." John replied.

"Why not just work on it? I mean, there might be some upgrade you can make to it." Gemina suggested..

"Nothing to change. It's perfect." John answered. In reality he had no idea how the thing even worked, and for all he knew, if he tried to take it apart he could end up permanently destroying it, but his team didn't need to know that just yet. Instead, John stood up.

"I'm going for a walk." He spoke up. When there was no response, he walked to the door with Aries following behind him.

"See you all in a bit." He added, and exited the room.

* * *

 **One hour later**

It was dark by the time John decided to go to finish his jog and return to his room. The halls of Beacon were dark now, the lights dimmed to the point where they would not interfere with the students' sleep, but still allow for those still awake to navigate the halls. Eventually, when curfew hit, they would go out completely, but John knew that there was a little time left before that happened. He was almost at his room when he heard familiar voices and stopped.

"I screwed up. I did something I shouldn't have. And now Pyrrha won't even talk to me, and Cardin's got me on a leash... I'm starting to think that coming to Beacon was a mistake... I'm a failure." He recognized that voice as belonging to Jaune.

"Nope." The second speaker, Ruby, replied. Before he knew it, John was leaning against the wall, listening in on his friends' conversation. He knew it was rude, but if he continued to his room, he would have to pass by and break up whatever conversation Ruby and Jaune were having. For a moment, John considered leaving, but a glance at his watch showed that curfew would end in a few minutes.

"Nope?" Jaune's reply was understandably confused.

"Nope!" Ruby said again "You can't be a failure now Jaune. You're the leader of a team now."

"But. What if I'm a failure at being a leader?" Jaune asked. John was inclined to agree with him on that. Jaune may have gotten into Beacon somehow, but that reason was yet to make itself known.

"Nope." Ruby chirped, and Jaune chuckled weakly.

"You're not the easiest person to talk to about this stuff, are you?" The blonde team leader replied.

"Nope! Jaune, you might have been a failure as a kid. And you might have been a failure when we first met..." As Ruby spoke, John could feel Jaune's depression growing.

"...But you can't be a failure now. You know why?" Ruby asked him.

"Huh?"

"Because it's not just about you anymore. You have the responsibility of a team resting on your shoulders now. We both do! And if we're failures then, we'll just bring our team down with us. We have to take care of out teammates. Your team deserves a great leader Jaune. But to become one you just have to put your heart and mind to it." Ruby finished. Then, he heard footsteps, as Ruby stood up and headed back to her dorm room.

"Goodnight Jaune." With those words, John heard Ruby open the door and return to her room. John smiled as stood and began to head back to his room once more. Evidently, the red-cloaked leader of Team RWBY had taken his words to heart all those weeks ago.

"Oh! John! Hi." Jaune said awkwardly as he spotted his fellow leader, "You didn't hear any of that, did you?"

"I heard it all." John replied, as Aries stepped out from around the corner.

"You were spying on us?" Jaune asked.

"That's one way of looking at it, but it was more along the lines of me just not having any other option." John said. Then, after a few moments of thought, he put his hand on Jaune's shoulder.

"Look, I don't know what Cardin's been threatening you with that makes you think he's got you on a leash, but everyone can see how it's been impacting you. You've barely been getting any sleep, your grades are slipping, and you're starting to drag down your team. The question now is, how far are you willing to let Cardin go with your life?" Jaune looked ready to protest at that, but before he could speak, John removed his hand from his shoulder and stepped away.

"Have a good night Jaune. Remember, we've got a field trip to Forever Fall Forest tomorrow, so we all need our rest." He said, and left, hoping that his words would have some impact on the blonde leader, but he wasn't counting on it. Soon, he was back in his room.

As soon as he entered, Aries immediately leaped away and curled up on his bed. Looking around, John saw that Azure was already sleeping, while Gemina was tinkering with an unfamiliar metal object.

Riley looked up as he entered, and stood up from the desk where she had been sitting. John's eyes were immediately drawn to the small box in her hands.

"Oh, good, you're back." Riley greeted him.

"Yep. Curfew is about to end, and I wouldn't want to get on Goodwitch's bad side." As John spoke, the dim light streaming in from under the door suddenly cut off, as the lights were turned off completely.

"It's a good thing you did, or I might not have been able to give these to you." Riley replied, handing him the box. Opening it, John saw two small metal objects. He picked one up and held it up for closer inspection. It looked like an earpiece of some sort, and after some hesitation, he put it on.

"What are they?" He asked.

"I call them sound frequency disruptors, or SFDs. Basically, they make sure that my semblance doesn't affect you too badly." As Riley spoke, John looked over to Gemina, and found that she was holding her own disruptor, apparently putting it back together.

"Right! You never did tell me what your semblance was." John replied.

"I was about to tell you. Anyway, my semblance allows me to control my voice, or more specifically, the sound waves that compose it. One of the things I can do with it is... Well... Gemina calls it screeching like a banshee. Basically, it disorients everyone who hears it, provided they're close enough. These SFDs should cancel out the worst of the effect, so I don't accidentally hurt you." Riley replied.

"Disorient how?" John asked, curious for more details.

"From what Gemina's told me, it hurts your ears, causes migraines, and makes your vision go all blurry for some reason. It doesn't affect me though, so I don't really know. Fortunately, the SFDs will make sure that the same applies to you." Riley explained.

"How do they work?"

"Well... It's complicated. I could go into the physics behind it, but I doubt you'd want to hear it. Basically, these devices detect my screech and emit corresponding waves of sound with an inverted phase, creating destructive interference to cancel the noise out."

"Huh. That's interesting... Thanks Riley, but how did you get these?" John asked.

"Well, I made these out of stuff I managed to get from an electronics shop. You know, noise cancelling headphones and all that. I didn't like it when my semblance hurt my friends, so with Gemina's help I designed and made them." Riley explained, her voice filled with pride.

"Glad to hear it... No pun intended." John replied.

"It's a nice semblance. Multifunctional, plenty of possible applications... It's impressive, that's for sure." Azure spoke up, causing Riley to turn to him, blushing slightly at the praise.

"Thanks... I guess..." The bat Faunus murmured.

"Anyway, it's a nice semblance. Now let's all shut up and go to sleep already." Azure said, before flopping back down onto his pillow. John chuckled at that.

"I can agree with that. We've got the Forever Fall trip coming up tomorrow, and I want all of us to be well rested for it." He said, before placing his disruptors on his nightstand and heading into the shower.

* * *

As he walked through it, John had to admit that Forever Fall forest was indeed a beautiful place. However, Professor Goodwitch was all too eager to remind them that, while the forest was indeed beautiful, it was also dangerous, and filled with Grimm. All around him, the rest of the students seemed to be having similar thoughts, as they marveled at the crimson forest's beauty but kept their hands on their various weapons. After all, every tree could be hiding an Ursa, and every rock sheltering a Beowulf.

Looking around, John quickly caught sight of teams RWBY and JNPR nearby, but it was obvious that the 'J' in JNPR was missing. Pyrrha kept casting concerned glances behind them, and John followed her gaze to see Jaune stumbling along, well behind the rest of the group, his arms laden with Team CRDL's equipment. John had heard Jaune say that Cardin had him on a leash, but what could possibly be enough to force Jaune into such a role?

"Wow... It's so beautiful!" Gemina's awestruck voice drew him out of his thoughts. Looking over at her, he saw that even the normally rude and standoffish girl was enraptured by the forest.

"That it is." John replied, and for once, Gemina just nodded.

Several feet away, Blake and Riley were engaged in their own conversation. After the confrontation with Team CRDL, the two black-haired girls had become friends, although Gemina had kept a watchful eye over the pair, as if suspicious of Blake's intentions towards her childhood friend.

As he continued to look around, Professor Goodwitch finally told them the specifics of their mission. Apparently, they were supposed to gather sap from the trees here for Professor Peach, whoever that was. Then again, John still didn't know the names of all of Beacon's faculty, especially the ones he didn't actually have.

"Alright guys, you hear that? We're just here to gather a few jars of sap, and then we can head home." John said once Glynda had finished speaking. The rest of his team nodded, and headed off into the trees, away from the sparse trail they had been following. John lingered behind for a few moments, as he saw Jaune stumbling after Team CRDL, away from his own team, and his stomach dropped. He didn't think that Team CRDL would willingly try to murder Jaune, not now, but it would be all too easy for them to just leave him behind, claiming that he got separated from them and never came back. Even if they merely planned on having him do their work for him, would they even try to protect him if the Grimm showed up? John shook his head at that, trying to banish the dark thoughts from his mind. Instead, he waved to his team, telling them that he'd catch up, and summoned Harpy.

The mechanical creature gave him an annoyed squawk as it appeared, evidently irritated at the fact that it hadn't been summoned for several days. Unlike Aries, who was almost always at John's side, Harpy would often be dismissed for days at a time before his next summoning.

"Sorry about the wait, Harpy, but I need you to do something for me. I need you to follow Jaune and make sure he stays okay. If anything happens to him, notify me. Got it?" John ordered, and Harpy squawked an affirmative, before soaring away. John watched the summoned Watcher vanish into the canopy before turning and running after his team.

He quickly caught up to them, and soon they found a cluster of the trees they needed. Teams RWBY and JNPR had tagged along with them, and they quickly got to work extracting sap.

"So... Where did you go?" He turned at Ruby's question.

"Nowhere, really. Just stopped to smell the roses." He replied, a teasing smile on his face. Ruby groaned at that.

"Oh come on, I've already got enough bad puns from Yang without you adding to them!" The younger girl replied. Yang looked hurt at that.

"Hey! My puns aren't that bad... Are they?"

"Yes." Everyone else in the clearing chorused, causing the blonde girl to pout.

* * *

Several minutes passed in relative silence, as the three teams worked to fill as many jars as possible. Blake and Riley were still in the middle of their own conversation, something about the White Fang and the Faunus, but John tuned them out, instead choosing to focus on his work. Said focus was broken when Ruby walked up alongside him, driving her spile into the tree.

"Hey John." She greeted once the sap began to flow.

"I've been thinking lately." She began, holding an empty jar beneath the harvesting implement.

"Really? Be careful, that could be dangerous for you." John teased, casting a quick glance down at his own jar. It was about half full. Ruby hit him at that, causing him to laugh.

"Ha ha, very funny. Anyway, I was thinking about weapons, and I just found it strange how your weapon is so similar to your semblance. I mean, it looks so similar to Aries, and it even disintegrates Grimm like Aries does." Ruby explained.

For a long moment, John didn't reply. The pause caught Ruby's attention, and she cocked her head, curious. For a moment, John considered telling her the truth, about how his mother and the strange crystal that allowed him to summon strange mechanical constructs. Sometimes, he wondered why he even kept the true nature of his weapon and semblance secret. He thought for a while, considered telling his first real friend the truth, and then remembered what had happened to his mother. She had told the truth, and people had thought she was crazy. He didn't think Ruby would be like that, but... He sighed. He wanted to trust the innocent-looking fifteen year old by his side with his secret, but... He sighed.

"I'll tell you one day, Ruby, but not today." He said, looking back down at his jar. The flow of sap into it had stopped, and he began to remove the spile. Ruby just nodded in response.

"Alright."

"Alright? Just like that?" John asked, raising an eyebrow. Ruby just shrugged at that.

"Pressuring you isn't going to get you to tell me if you don't want to, and if you don't want to talk about it then I have no right to force you." She responded.

"Wow, Ruby... That was... That was very wise." John said, at a loss for words. He had expected the younger girl to keep pressing him until he revealed something, not... Not this.

"Hey! Just because I'm a bit younger than you doesn't mean I cant be wise." Ruby scowled. Evidently, her age was a sore point with her.

"I didn't mean it like that! I just meant that you don't seem very... Sophisticated." John said hesitantly, realizing too late that he had shoved his foot in his mouth once more.

"I could be sophisticated if I wanted to!" Ruby replied, pouting in a manner that John couldn't help but find adorable.

"Sure you could, little rose. Sure you could." John said, finally removing his spile from the tree. As he looked around, for another tree, Yang caught his eye. The blonde was staring at him, a frown clear on her face. Evidently, she had heard at least part of their conversation.

The three teams had already filled a multitude of jars with sap, and had stacked the filled ones in a rough pyramid in the center of the clearing. A loud slurp caught his attention, and he saw Nora drinking the sap from a jar she had just been handed. He was about to reprimand her when he saw Ren glance fondly at her, before sneaking over to the filled pyramid and adding two more filled jars to it. Evidently, he was gathering enough to make up for his friend's appetite.

A slight tug at his mind caused him to freeze. A second tug confirmed his suspicions. Harpy was trying to contact him. After a moment of hesitation, John allowed the Watcher into his mind, and his vision faded away, replaced by an aerial image of Jaune and Team CRDL.

The five boys were closer than he realized, as when he looked to his right, he saw himself standing next to Ruby in a clearing a short distance away.

"John? Is something wrong?" It was strange, to hear Ruby's question from right beside him, but to be blind to its source. John ignored the question for now, and instead asked Harpy to zoom in on Jaune. He watched as Cardin handed something to the blonde, and he realized that it was a jar filled with sap. Then, Cardin pointed at Riley and said something that John couldn't hear. However, the intention was clear. Cardin wanted revenge on Riley for her defiance in the cafeteria, and he was using Jaune as a proxy.

His hands balled into fists as he watched.

"Don't do it, Jaune. Don't you dare." He muttered, watching as Jaune pulled back his arm for the throw, and then hesitated. If Jaune threw that jar, then John didn't care what kind of dirt Cardin had on him, he would come after the both of them and beat them senseless, school rules be damned. For a moment, he considered ordering Harpy to shoot the jar, but before he could, a sharp pain shot across his face, and the link with Harpy was disrupted. As his vision returned to normal, he saw Ruby staring apologetically at him. Apparently, she had slapped him.

"John? What's wrong? What is Jaune doing?" Ruby asked as he blinked in shock.

John didn't respond, and instead looked over at Riley. Fortunately, the bat Faunus was unharmed.

Gemina noticed and commented. "What are you looking for?"

John searched for a moment more before giving up and looked at Gemina. "Nothing. It's not important."

"Good. Then come and help mo out with these jars." Gemina said and turned around and walked back to the tree. John looked around one more time before following Gemina.

John wondered what happened to Jaune and hoped he was okay. But a few minutes later his hopes were squashed when Harpy began frantically trying to get his attention. But he was currently helping Gemina and he couldn't look at what Harpy was seeing. Just as John was going to tell Gemina the situation he heard a loud roar echo through the forest. A moment later Russel, Sky, and Dove came running out of the trees yelling, "Ursa! Ursa!"

Sky and Dove ran past them into the forest, but Russel had the misfortune of running into Yang.

"What? Where?!" The blonde demanded, grabbing the mohawked boy by his collar.

"Back there! It's got Cardin!" Russel screamed.

"Jaune!" Pyrrha exclaimed as she heard those words.

"Yang. You and Blake go get Professor Goodwich." Ruby ordered as she pulled out her weapon.

"You two go with them. There could be more."Pyrrha added, gesturing at Ren and Nora. The two of them nodded and took off.

"Riley, Gemina, make sure there aren't any more Grimm in the area. If there are, clear them out. Azure, when we reach Jaune, I want you to do the same." John ordered as he drew his own weapon.

For once, Gemina did not dispute the order, and instead activated her semblance, drawing her weapon as she did so. The two identical copies flanked Riley as they headed out into the forest, sweeping the area for any nearby Grimm.

The six of them made their way in the direction of the supposed Ursa, sprinting through the forest until they arrived at another clearing.

"John, did you know about this?" Ruby asked.

"Not about the Ursa!" John panted in response.

"How-"

"Harpy!" John called out, the word serving both to recall the summoned creature and answer Ruby's question.

"How-"

"I sent him to watch and protect Jaune back when I saw him heading off with Cardin." John replied as Harpy came down to hover above his shoulder.

"You did that for him? Why?" Pyrrha asked.

"Because I don't trust Cardin. After all, he and Jaune were all alone out there, and if Cardin decided to do something, there wouldn't be anyone there to stop him. Any witnesses would be firmly on Cardin's side." John explained as he examined the situation.

"You don't think-" Ruby began, but a loud roar cut her off. Looking towards its source, they saw Jaune, the leader of Team JNPR locked in a desperate fight against an Ursa easily twice his size. Without hesitation, John dropped to a firing position, quickly drawing a bead on the monster's head. As he did so, he spotted Cardin on the ground, the boy's chest covered in a combination of red sap and chunks of glass. John smiled at that. Evidently, Jaune had finally decided to fight back.

Then, his sights were centered on the Ursa's head, but just as he prepared to pull the trigger, Pyrrha held up a hand.

"Wait!" She exclaimed. After a moment of hesitation, John refrained from pulling the trigger. Apparently, Pyrrha had a plan, but if whatever it was failed, he would be ready to shoot that monster regardless. Thus, instead of shooting, he watched the battle unfold.

Jaune had just taken a swipe at the monster's chest, knocking it back for a moment. However, before he could press his advantage, the Ursa had already recovered and had struck back. Fortunately, the immense paw slammed into the ground as Jaune rolled out of the way. The boy leaped over a second strike, but a third caught him in midair, sending him flying back.

The monster rushed forward, intent on finishing the fight then and there, but Jaune had regained his footing by the time it reached him. As the monster's paw descended towards his head, he slashed upward, and suddenly, John knew that the fight would end there. Be the end triumphant or tragic, it would be over in the next moment. His finger tightened on the trigger, but Pyrrha beat him to the punch. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw her stick out her hand, and suddenly, impossibly, Jaune's shield moved of its own accord, rocketing upward to intercept the Ursa's paw, while Jaune's sword met its mark, slicing right through the monster's neck, cleaving head from body in one immense blow. The ground shook slightly as the Ursa's corpse fell to the ground, and John relaxed his grip on the trigger.

"What did you just do?" He asked the Mistralian champion.

"Well. Ruby has her speed, Weiss has her Glyphs, you have... Your summoning thing. My semblance... Is polarity." She explained.

"Woah... You can control poles..." Ruby trailed off, her voice awestruck. Before John could so much as laugh, Weiss had already corrected her leader.

"No you dunce! It means she has power over magnetism." The heiress snapped.

"Magnets are cool too." Ruby murmured, to Weiss' exasperation. This time, John did have a chance to laugh.

"Come on Ruby, let's go before you give Weiss a migraine." He laughed, putting an arm around her shoulder and leading her away from the disintegrating Grimm corpse.

"I think I've given her plenty already." Ruby muttered, blushing slightly at the contact with John, but making no attempt to remove his arm. The two of them walked side by side in silence, until finally they finally spotted Professor Goodwitch up ahead.

"What's the situation?" The older woman asked as she caught sight of them. Her voice was not particularly concerned, but then again, John supposed that their demeanor didn't create much cause for concern.

"Taken care of. Jaune killed the Ursa, and nobody's injured... Although Cardin might need a new change of pants." John replied, drawing an unamused stare from the professor.

"What about the rest of your teams?" Glynda asked.

"They're still back there, watching Jaune and Cardin." Ruby reported.

"Wait, wait, wait, Jaune killed the Ursa?" Dove asked, voice filled with disbelief.

"That he did, with no help from you three I might add." John replied angrily.

Dove scowled and opened his mouth to retort, but Professor Goodwitch beat him to it.

"Enough. Did anything happen that may have drawn out the Ursa?" She asked.

"No idea. We didn't arrive until the fight was almost over." John replied. Sky opened his mouth to say something, but a pointed look from John shut his mouth. The last thing John wanted was for the boy to somehow manage to pin things on Jaune. When nothing else was said, Glynda just sighed.

"Very well. Return to your teammates and finish gathering sap. Be sure to arrive at the rendezvous point with all your sap at the designated time. Dismissed!" With those words, the students scattered, returning to their respective teams.

* * *

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WARNING: CONTAINMENT LOCKS DEACTIVATED IN SECTIONS 1 THROUGH 9

SENDING AVAILABLE UNITS TO INITIATE CONTAINMENT PROTOCOL THETA 7

RE-LOCKING PROCEDURE INITIATED

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WARNING: BREACH DETECTED IN SECTION 18

SENDING AVAILABLE UNITS TO INITIATE CONTAINMENT PROTOCOL KAPPA 2

SENDING ADDITIONAL UNITS FOR BREACH REPAIR - PROTECTORS AUTHORIZED

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WARNING: UNKNOWN TARGETS DETECTED IN SERVER ROOMS

SENDING AVAILABLE UNITS FOR TERMINATION OF UNKNOWN TARGETS

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WARNING: UNAUTHORIZED CONNECTION ESTABLISHED

LOCATION: SERVER ROOM

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WARNING: UNKNOWN ENTITY ACCESSING NETWORK

INITIATING COUNTERMEASURES

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COUNTERMEASURES FAILED

SENDING ADDITIONAL UNITS TO SERVER ROOM

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WARNING: UNKNOWN ENTITY ACCESSING FACILITY SYSTEMS

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ATTEMPTING TO RE-INITIATE RE-LOCKING PROCEDURE

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WARNING: UNKNOWN ENTIT-T-T-T-TITY CORRRRRRRUPTING VITAL DATA-TA

ISOLATING-ING

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GLLLLOBAL SENSOR NETWOR-R-R-RK OFFLINE

RECLAIMER LOCATION LOST-ST-ST

ATTEMPTIIIIING TO RECOVERRRRRRR

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ENTITY ISOLATED

PURGING UNKNOWN ENTITY

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WARNING: UNABLE TO PURGE UNKNOWN ENTITY

RE-LOCKING PROCEDURE FAILED - ACCESS DENIED

RECOVERY FAILED

RE-ATTEMPTING TO PURGE UNKNOWN ENTITY

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CALCULATING

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ESTIMATED TIME TO UNRECOVERABLE CONTAINMENT BREACH: 100-120 DAYS

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SUFFICIENT NUMBER OF ASSETS PREPARED

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ASSET SELECTED

PROBABILITY OF SUCCESS: 86%

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ACCEPTABLE

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ESTIMATED TIME UNTIL RECLAIMER LOCATION IS ASCERTAINED: 90-100 DAYS

PREPARING SEARCH

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SEARCH INITIATED

* * *

 **A/N: So, there's an message of unknown origin. Wonder what it means ;) If your extremely confused about this don't worry, it will be explained eventually. In the meantime you'll just have to use your imagination. For Riley's semblance, I personally imagine the screech being like the sirens scream from killing floor 2, but your free to think of it as sounding however you like.**

 **Hope you all enjoyed this chapter. And as always, I'll see you next time.**


	6. Chapter 6 - Red Razors

**A/N: Yep. I am definitely proudest of this chapter the most. Today we'll be taking a detour from canon. I hope you all don't mind. Also, I would like to throw a big thanks out to Warmach1ne32 for helping me out. He hasn't helped me out as much as Generated name, but he's still helped me out and I apprecieate it. He's also a writer, I suggest you all go and check him out.**

 **Reviews**

 **gonefishern: Do not fret, my dear reader. Everything will be explained in time.**

 **WinstontheNinja: Too true. And thank you very much.**

 **NathanHale2: Not necessarily. Remnant could always... Nah. Your right. They'd be fucked. But what WILL happen shall remain under wraps for just a few more chapters.**

 **someoneorsomething: You are correct. That is how the flood operates. However, things are not quite as they seem. But don't worry. You shall find out soon enough.**

 **Cy: It is as if you can predict the future. For some of the things you said, at least.**

 **BrutusSilentium: Well, if ominous ending wasn't ominous then it wouldn't be ominous. And still happy that you like it. Thank you for your support.**

 **Guest: I'm afraid not. I'm sorry if that's what you wanted to see, but no. They won't be in the story.**

* * *

Remnant's Reclamation

* * *

"I'm bored." Azure said for the eighth time, as team JAGR walked through the streets of Vale, enjoying, or attempting to enjoy, the sights of the city setting up for the Vytal festival.

An entire week had passed since the trip into Forever Fall forest and the events thereof. The week had finally come to its end, which meant school was out, which in turn meant that, for the moment, the students were free to do as they wished. Team RWBY had left for Vale proper early in the morning at Wiess' insistence, and having nothing better to do, Team JAGR decided to do the same a few hours later. It was a pleasant stroll, and their status as Beacon students meant that everywhere they went they were greeted with smiles and friendly waves. The only problem was that Azure refused to shut up!

"We KNOW! You've told us what, ten times? Seriously, if you're so bored then do something! Look at the decorations, or just daydream for a bit." John replied, his voice channeling his entire team's exasperation.

"Fine, fine..." Azure grumbled, and was silent, at least for the moment. Unfortunately, the moment didn't last long.

"Why didn't we go with team RWBY? They're doing the same thing we are, and it would probably be more fun with them around." Azure complained.

"Because we don't need to see them all day, every day. If we tagged along with them all the time, we'd never give them any time to themselves. Besides, it's nice to sometimes do things alone, without any other teams around." John replied, irritated.

"It is nice." Riley murmured her agreement.

"So, we're seriously just going to keep on walking around town doing nothing? When we could be doing better and more exciting things?" Azure asked.

"We could also be doing worse things, so stop complaining or I might take you up on your offer and have us go back and study for the rest of the day." John answered. When no response came, John smiled. He should have said that a long time ago.

The silence was short lived, however, as John's stomach growled, causing him to blush in embarrassment.

"Maybe we should go get something to eat?" Gemina suggested.

"Yeah, that sounds good right now." John replied.

"I'm feeling pretty hungry myself." Azure added, and Riley nodded her own assent.

"So, do you guys know any good restaurants around here?" John asked.

"I've heard about a pretty nice place. Follow me." Azure said, and the rest of the team followed him.

The restaurant turned out to be a fairly food looking establishment, and a look in through the window showed that it was packed. Walking through the entrance, they beheld an interior decorated with beautiful black marble. A host greeted them as they entered. He was a little older than them, barely into his twenties, and held a tablet in his hands.

"Hello! Welcome to Heorot's Bar and Grill. How may I help you?" He asked, smiling.

"We'd like a table please." John smiled back.

"Of course! Please follow me-" The host spoke as he began to turn, only for an older man in a black suit to cut him off.

"I'm sorry, but we do not allow animals in this restaurant." The man said, a frown on his face. John was confused for a moment, before he realized what the man meant.

"Oh, sorry. Aries isn't really an animal, he's more of a robot. But if you want I can make him wait outside." He said, gesturing down to where Aries sat at his feet.

"That would be much appreciated, but I was not referring to that thing." The man replied, casting a pointed look at Riley, who shrunk back under his gaze.

"Are you kidding me!?" "You racist bastard!" John and Azure exclaimed, disbelief and anger filling their voices as they realized what the man meant.

"Seriously!? She can't eat here because of a pair of bat ears!?" Gemina yelled, her face contorted in rage as Riley hid behind her.

"We have a clear no animal policy. If you don't like it, then you can leave, because I will not allow that filthy beast into my restaurant." The man replied, his voice level but stern. Behind him, John saw the host mouth 'I'm sorry' while shaking his head.

Azure growled at that, and drew his arm back for a punch, but Riley was faster, grabbing his arm before he could strike.

"No Azure! Please, let's just go." She pleaded. After a moment, Azure's arm slackened and he turned, storming out of the restaurant, the rest of Team JAGR hot on his heels.

"I cannot believe how racist some people can be!" Gemina exclaimed as they walked away from the restaurant.

"That guy was a bastard! I can't believe we're training to protect people like him!" Azure growled.

"I agree. I wanted nothing more than to sic Aries on the fucker, but that would have just been playing right into his hands. Did you see the look on his face when you were about to hit him? He wanted us to attack so that he could sue for assault." John growled. Even Aries was enraged, as was evidenced by his body glowing much brighter.

"Yeah..." Gemina answered, before over at Riley.

"Hey, Riley, are you okay?" She asked her best friend. Riley hadn't spoken since they left the restaurant, and her gaze was firmly fixed on the ground. She looked up when her name was called.

"Yes... Yes, I'm fine. I'm sorry we couldn't go there..." She trailed off, mumbling something under her breath.

"Don't apologize. It's not your fault the owner was a racist prick! I hope that place gets shut down." Azure replied.

"That would be so nice." Gemina answered.

For a while, everything was quiet, before John spoke up.

"So, does anyone know of a place that isn't run by a racist asshole?" He asked. At that, Gemina and Riley exchanged glances. Noticing this, Azure spoke up.

"Well? Is there a place like that nearby?" He asked. At that, Gemina and Riley glanced at him, before turning back to each other.

"It's up to you. He might not be there." Gemina said after a few moments.

"What are you talking about?" John asked, confused. For a moment, there was no response, before Riley sighed.

"I know a place. Follow me." She said, and headed down a side street, Gemina right behind her. Azure and John looked at each other, before shrugging and following behind them. They soon arrived at a decent looking diner, although it was a paltry affair in comparison to the grandeur of Heorot's.

"So, is Aries allowed in there?" John asked once he caught up to the girls.

"It would probably be better if you left him outside." Riley replied. At that, John turned to Aries.

"Alright, you heard her. You can either stay outside, or follow me in. What do you want to do?" He asked. Aries replied by curling up just outside the entrance.

"Alright, I'll try not to take too long." John said, before following the rest of his team into the diner. It was fairly sparsely decorated inside, although it still looked decent enough. There were only a few people inside, and aside from a few curious glances they didn't draw any attention.

"This place looks nice... But this isn't just some random diner, is it?" Azure asked once they sat down, curious.

"Well... My parents own it, actually, but they're not here right now... Or ever, really. They don't want the place to be discriminated against because they're Faunus, so they leave most of the day-to-day work to the manager. To most customers, this place might as well be run by humans." Riley explained.

"Makes sense, but why did you seem so hesitant to come here?" John asked. Riley sighed at that.

"Because... Because the manager's son, Dylan, works here and he's always hitting on me! It doesn't help that my parents are always telling me how he's such a great guy and everything, and how I should go out with him." She explained.

"So, why don't you like him?" John asked.

"Because he's a complete and total jerk! He acts all nice in front of his dad and Riley's parents, but when they're not around he's a complete asshole. He thinks he's better than everyone else, and Riley's parents always take his side, no matter what we tell them!" Gemina exclaimed.

"Really? Where is he now?" Azure asked.

"I don't know, he might be working in the back." Riley said.

"Whatever! Enough about Dylan, let's get some food." Gemina exclaimed, opening up her menu. A few minutes later, a waiter arrived to take their order, and soon their food arrived. John sampled his fries, before smiling.

"Wow, these are pretty good! Much better than your usual fast food." He said. Azure nodded in agreement, although his mouth was full of hamburger.

"I know. The two of us used to come here all the time..." Gemina said, applying ketchup to her hot dog.

"Those were the days..." Riley agreed from across the table as she ate her salad. For a moment, the two girls' expressions became vacant, as they reminisced over past memories.

"Wow, this is really good! Give my compliments to your parents, this stuff is awesome!" Azure exclaimed. John tried to say something as well, but his mouth was full.

"For dust's sake John, swallow first!" Azure laughed.

"Sorry, I just said I agree." He replied.

"I'll be sure to tell them." Riley replied, smiling.

"So, what are we going to-" Gemina began, but an unfamiliar voice cut her off.

"Well, well, well... look who's back." The two girls' faces morphed into expressions of irritation at those words. John and Azure looked up and saw a teenage boy strutting towards their table, his gaze fixed on Riley. He had messy brown hair and green eyes, and wore black jeans and a sleeveless neon-green shirt, clearly intended to show off his muscles.

"Hello Dylan." Riley replied, not bothering to disguise her annoyance.

"Hey there sweetheart. You just couldn't stay away from me, could ya?" The boy replied, a cocky smirk on his face as he leaned down onto their table.

"Believe me, this is the last place I want to be right now. What do I have to do, file a restraining order?" Riley demanded.

"Ah, come on sweetie, don't be like that." Dylan replied, befoer looking over at Gemina and smiling.

"Hello Gemina. It's been a while." The blonde narrowed her eyes at that.

"Not long enough." She growled, glaring at him. That was when Dylan turned his attention on John and Azure.

"Who are these losers?" He said after a few moments' scrutiny.

"This is my team leader John, and my teammate Azure. They've got what, twenty confirmed Grimm kills last week?" Riley replied, introducing them.

"They don't look like much to me." Dylan replied, causing John to frown, but before he could retort Dylan turned back to Riley and continued speaking.

"So, I was thinking. You, me, go see a movie tonight. What do ya say?" He asked, waggling his eyebrows as he did so.

"No thank you, Dylan." Riley sighed in response. Dylan just smiled at that.

"I know you're just playing hard to get. That's all right, I can wait as long as I need to. I know you'll go out with me eventually. You can only resist this for so long!" He said, gesturing at himself.

Azure muttered something under his breath at that, drawing Dylan's attention.

"You got something to say blueberry?" He said, and John had to stifle a laugh. That was the best he could come up with? Azure just gave him an annoyed glare.

"Nah, I don't." He replied, his voice dismissive.

"That's what I thought." Dylan said smugly. Azure said nothing in response, but John could tell that his teammate was one step away from attacking the other boy then and there.

"Come on sweetie. Why wont you go out with me? You know you want to." Dylan continued.

"Because... Because..." Riley stammered out, before continuing a few moments later.

"Because Azure and I are dating." She, turning to the boy in question and wrapping her arm around his own. John choked on his drink at that, and began coughing violently, drawing Dylan's attention. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Gemina do the same. For his part, Azure blushed at the contact.

Taking advantage of Dylan's distraction, Riley leaned over to Azure, and whispered something into his ear. Azure nodded at that, and promptly reciprocated the gesture. That caught Dylan's attention, and the boy turned back to the pair.

"Is this true?" He demanded, his eyes narrowing.

"Of course it's true! What, you think she's lying?" Azure said. Evidently, John could add 'Actor' to his friend's list of talents.

"No. What I'm thinking is why would she date someone like you when she could date me?" Dylan replied.

"I don't know, maybe it's because you're a douchebag with an inflated ego?" Azure replied, his voice no longer calm.

"Oh yeah? You wanna take this outside, punk?" Dylan demanded, puffing out his chest as he did so. Azure merely smiled at that, and stood up.

"Gladly." He replied, hands clenched into fists. Then, Riley put her hand on his, shaking her head.

"No, he's not worth it." She said, and after a moment, Azure sighed and sat back down. An arrogant smirk grew on Dylan's face at that.

"Ha! You're gonna let a girl tell you what to do?" He laughed. John stood in response.

"Seriously, how stupid are you? The four of us all have years of combat training, and we've got over three hundred confirmed kills between us. How about you? How many Grimm have you killed lately? None? Look, we've humored you for this long, but I think we've all had enough of you. It's time for you to go." He said, staring the other boy in the eye. Dylan's smirk faltered for a moment, before it returned.

"Oh yeah? And what if I don't?" He demanded.

"Then we make you." John replied simply, as a host of Watchers and Crawlers flashed into existence around him, Harpy at their head. That certainly gave Dylan pause, as the reality of the situation began to sink in. John would have bet that the boy didn't even have his aura unlocked, and had next to no combat experience.

"Fine! Whatever!" With those words, Dylan turned and sulked back to wherever he had come from.

"That guy was a dick!" John sighed once the other boy was out of earshot.

"No shit." Gemina agreed. Then, John noticed that Riley and Azure were together on the opposite end of the table, and a sly smile appeared on his face.

"So, when did the two of you start dating?" He teased, causing the pair to blush and jump apart.

"I only said that to make him leave us alone and stop hitting on me!" Riley exclaimed.

"Honestly Riley, I don't know what you see in him." Gemina added.

"Not you too!" Riley exclaimed.

"You have to admit, the two of you do seem like a good couple." John replied, smiling.

"You know what... Screw you John." Azure responded with a scowl. John just laughed in response.

"Seriously though, thanks. Hopefully Dylan would leave us alone from now on. That bastard is everything I hate about you boys..." Gemina said, muttering the last part under her breath. Only John, who was sitting right beside her, heard them.

"We can only hope." Riley added, quickly finishing her meal.

Their meals finished, team JAGR continued their walk through Vale. For a while, they walked in silence before John, seeking to start a conversation, spoke up.

"Hey, Riley?" He asked.

"Yeah?" The bat faunus replied.

"Well, I was just wondering... If your parents own such a successful restaurant, why do you just have a bayonet on your gun? I'm sure you could have afforded to turn it into a mecha-shift weapon." He asked.

"Well, honestly I just like bayonets. I can use it fairly well, and it doesn't need anywhere near as much maintenance as a mecha-shifting blade." She replied.

"Oh... So, how does it work? Your weapon, I mean. All I know is that it shoots some kind of sound wave." John continued. Riley promptly jumped at the chance to explain how her weapon worked. In a way, her enthusiasm reminded John of Ruby.

"Well, it's a little complicated. It can fire two types of sound waves: infrasonic and ultrasonic. Ultrasonic waves are what I use against Grimm. They can travel a fairly long distance, so I don't have to get too close to use them properly, and they're powerful enough that a few seconds of exposure can usually kill a Beowulf.

"What about Infrasonic?" John asked.

"Glad you asked. Infrasound can go through most solid objects pretty easily, so I use it against targets in cover. The only problem is that it is generally not as strong as a focused beam of ultrasound, so it's better for knocking targets back than actually killing them. Plus, from what I've seen, aura tends to shield pretty well against it, so if I were to hit you with it, you'd just stumble back a bit and get a little dizzy. Ultrasound is stronger against aura, and it would probably knock you back a few feet, but it still wouldn't really hurt you."

"I see... So, it's not really good against people?" John asked.

"Of course not! Why would it be? I'm training to fight Grimm, not... Not other people!" Riley exclaimed.

"Gotcha. Is there anything else?" John asked.

"Yeah, it's got a third mode, just in case I ever have to fight people without aura. I based it off some crowd-control equipment used by Vale and Atlas police, so it's not very good against Grimm, and against Aura it really doesn't do much, but against someone without aura, it would cause dizziness, prevent movement, and generally make it hard for someone to fight. It's completely non-lethal too, unlike the other two modes... And that's it! That's how Banshee works!" Riley finished. The rest of the team was silent for a few seconds before John finally responded.

"Wow! Impressive!" Was all he could say.

"Yeah, it must have taken a lot of effort to make something like that." Azure added.

"Yeah, it took a lot of work... Although I had plenty of help from Gemina. Without her, I doubt I could have had this finished in time for Beacon!"

"Speaking of which, I just realized something. I really don't know much about you guys. I mean, I've learned a bit about you, Riley, but I still know pretty much nothing about you two." John said, gesturing at Azure and Gemina. It was Gemina who replied first.

"What's there to know about me? My life was pretty much normal. I grew up with only my brothers and my dad; my mom left a year after I was born. I went to school like everyone else, met Riley one day, and now we're best friends. We've been training together since then to become huntresses, and we got into Beacon together. Not much to say." She said, shrugging.

"Okay... So, how did you and Riley meet?" John asked, deciding to press for more information.

"Oh, well, one day during recess I saw a group of boys huddled in a group at the edge of the schoolyard, and I decided to go over and check it out. When I got closer, I heard crying and saw Riley on the ground, where the boys were beating her up. So, being the kind person I am, I carefully defused the situation and took Riley to the nurse. She was pretty badly hurt, but aside from that little bit of missing skin on her ear, she healed up pretty well, and we've been best friends ever since." Gemina explained. Riley just laughed.

"Carefully defused the situation? You kicked that one guy in the nuts so hard he passed out!" She replied, causing the boys present to wince and draw a second bout of laughter from the girls.

"Remind me not to piss you off..." Azure said, getting a cheeky smile in response from Gemina.

"So, is that why you hate boys?" John asked, causing all traces of a smile to vanish from Gemina's face.

"What makes you think that?" She asked, suddenly defensive.

"I heard what you said back in the restaurant, and... well-" John began, but Gemina cut him off before he could finish.

"Look. I've got nothing against you personally. In fact, you seem like a pretty nice person, and I'm not petty enough to drag my team down because of my likes and dislikes." She said.

"But-"

"Just... Look, I... I... I really don't want to talk about it, okay!? I just don't! Now drop it." Gemina said. For a moment, neither Azure or John spoke, while Riley placed a hand on her best friend's shoulder. They did as she wanted and didn't say another word about it.

For a few minutes, nobody spoke, before Riley broke the silence, eager to change the subject.

"What about you, Azure? Anything we should know about you?" She asked.

"Oh, well, when I was young, I lived in a small town just outside Vale. You know, outside the wall, but still within range of the VDF artillery. My parents died when I was young... I don't really remember them. All I know is that they were apparently pretty big in the farming business... Anyway, after they died, I got sent to live with my bastard of an uncle here in Vale." At that, Azure scowled.

"He was an alcoholic, and... Well, he was a bastard, who hated me because he suddenly had to spend money on me instead of alcohol. I'm glad he's in prison now... Anyway, it took me a few years to work up the courage to run away... Thankfully, I soon found out that my parents had left me plenty of money, and I was able to use it to pay for school and a small apartment, and eventually I was able to get into Beacon. There, that's my life story right there." He finished.

"Wait, your parents were in agriculture?" John asked.

"Yeah."

"But... To have land so close to the city..." Riley began, but trailed off, the realization hitting her.

"Yeah. I eventually learned that my family was pretty old, and you know how the agriculture business is. Maybe if things had been different, I might have ended up like Weiss." Azure said, chuckling.

"So why did you become a huntsman? I mean, you probably have a nice mansion right outside the city, and plenty of land around it to farm." Riley asked.

"I do, but what would I do with it? I don't know shit about farming, or about managing a fortune. I haven't even gone back to my parents' house since the day they died..." Azure said, sighing.

"You should go visit there sometime." John said.

"I know, I know... Anyway, I became a huntsman because I wanted to help people. I couldn't protect the weak from within a mansion, but I could do so out on the frontier as a huntsman. So there you have it! The story of my life!" Azure finished.

"Well, I'm just glad you're here with us! If you weren't, Gemina and I would be down a friend, and Riley wouldn't have a boyfriend!" John replied, clapping Azure on the back.

"Hey! He's not my boyfriend!" Riley spluttered, fixing him with a glare.

"Sorry, couldn't help myself!" John laughed.

"So, fearless leader, we've told you our stories, now it's your turn!" Azure said, causing John's laughter to still. After a few moments of silence, he took a deep breath, preparing to speak, only to be interrupted by a string of cheerful popping noises.

"Gunshots?" Riley asked, ears pricked.

"Yes. Sounds like they were pretty close too." Azure added.

"What do we do?" Gemina asked.

"They came from over there. Let's go." John replied, gesturing down the street and breaking into a sprint, the rest of his team right behind him. As they ran, they began to see other people, although these were running in the opposite direction. The gunshots had not stopped, and if anything, the firefight had intensified. As John looked around, he saw the buildings change as they entered one of Vale's poorer districts. They soon arrived in front of a club. The building's doors had been blown open, and the sound of gunfire and clashing steel mixed with still-playing music. Outside the club were a multitude of red and silver trucks, each one painted in garish stripes, but all had the same bloody knife painted on their hood.

"This has 'gang war' written all over it." Azure muttered as he looked over the trucks.

"What makes you say that?" John asked.

"All the trucks have the same general color scheme, and whoever was responsible for this clearly has a lot of men and weapons at their disposal. This isn't some petty crime." Azure replied.

"Damn. Well, they never said a huntsman's job was easy. Riley, I see six guards by the trucks. Can you take them all out non-lethally, or will the rest of us have to open up as well?" He asked.

"Wait, you want us to just go charging in there?" Gemina demanded.

"No, I can't take them all out. I can get one or two, three if I'm lucky, but no more." Riley replied.

"People are dying, Gemina! This is what we signed up for when we applied to Beacon! Now let's go! Riley, if I had Harpy shield you, do you think you could get them all?"

"I think I can!" Riley replied.

"You're crazy!" Gemina protested.

"We're all crazy! We're going to school to learn how to fight monsters for pleasure and profit! Now, Gemina, I want you to blow as many of those trucks as you can on my mark."

"Ugh, fine, but when we all die, I'm gonna kick your ass!" Gemina sighed.

"Fire in 3... 2... 1... MARK!" With those words, John summoned Harpy, who immediately deployed a bright blue shield in front of them. Riley fell to the ground just as the bullets started flying, and opened fire with her own weapon, while Gemina knelt down and aimed high, firing grenades over the shield and into the hostile vehicles.

The firefight was over in moments, as their opponents quickly fell to the ground, their ears bleeding, while several of the trucks were blown apart.

"Guards are down! Let's get into the club!" John shouted, and the four of them advanced into the club proper. The music and gunfire still resounded from within the building as Team JAGR made their way inside. However, the interior no longer resembled any sort of club. A slaughterhouse would have been a better word to describe the carnage within. The bodies of civilians were scattered throughout the building. Most were in the middle of the dance floor, while others were strewn across the stairs leading up to the exit, doubtlessly having been shot while trying to escape.

However, the fight was far from over. Two distinct groups of men were exchanging fire. One group wore the same red and silver-grey suits as the guards outside, while the other was clad all in black, with dark red shades covering their eyes, and had taken cover behind the bar counter. Both sides used the same weaponry, although as John looked on, one of the men behind the counter fired off a cluster of rockets, while the DJ laid down suppressing fire, preventing the attacking group from advancing further into the room.

For their part, the attacking group was content to hide behind strange wheeled barricades that appeared to have been made of strapped-together riot shields. Amidst all the chaos, their leader stood, apparently unconcerned with the bullets flying everywhere. He wore an open silver trenchcoat with several red stripes, and his face was obscured by a blank silver mask. John's first thought was White Fang, but something about the mask seemed off, namely that it lacked eye holes.

Regardless, its wearer did not seemed to concerned with the violence, and indeed, aside from occasionally deflecting a bullet with his sword, he seemed content to observe the battle with what seemed to be mild amusement.

"Okay boss, what's the plan?" Azure asked as they entered. John frowned as he analyzed the situation.

"Alright. From what I can see, those red and silver guys seem to be the attackers, so we're taking them out. Riley, when I give the signal, I want you to use your semblance to knock out as many as possible. Azure, when the signal comes, try and take as many of them out as possible, but stay safe, and more importantly, steer clear of that man with the mask. I don't know what he can do, but he doesn't seem like a regular gangster, that's for sure. Riley, Gemina, I want you two to find some cover and start blowing up theirs. They seem to have aura, so feel free to use force, but I'd prefer no needless killing. As for me, I'm gonna try and get up to where that DJ is and provide some covering fire."

"Wait, you want us to run through that?" Gemina demanded. As if to prove her point, as tray bullet cracked past John's ear.

"Don't worry, I'll have Watchers cover you." John replied, as three other watchers flashed into existence next to Harpy. John shuddered slightly at the sensation of such rapid aura expenditure, but a quick glance at his scroll told him that he had plenty left.

"Fine. When do we move?" Gemina asked.

"I'm gonna get up there now. When I signal you, you move." John replied.

"What kind of signal?" Azure asked.

"The big flashy kind. Trust me, you'll know!"

With that, John burst out from his cover, Harpy projecting a shield at his side, keeping him covered from incoming fire, while the other Watchers stayed back, ready to do the same for his teammates when the time came. Once he reached the wall below the DJ podium, John summoned yet another Watcher, which projected a shield beneath him. Standing on the hard-light surface, John soon found himself crouching down beside the DJ, and promptly dismissed the extraneous watcher, so as to conserve his aura.

"Who the hell are you?" The DJ asked, his voice muffled by the bear mask he was wearing.

"Huntsman in training. We're here to help. What about you?" John asked as several bullets slammed into Harpy's shield.

"Call me DJ. Now, if you're gonna help, start shooting!" The man replied, firing off another burst from his SMG before cursing and ducking back down to reload.

"What's going on here?" John asked as DJ swapped out an empty ammo drum for a full one.

"Hell if I know, these guys just came in and started shooting! I'm just paid to play music and shoot shit, Junior's the one who knows stuff!" The man replied, before firing off another burst.

"Junior?"

"The owner of this club. He's the big guy with the rocket launcher. NOW START SHOOTING!" DJ shouted.

"Alright. Cover your ears!" John replied, and split Atomized into falchion form. Standing up, he quickly waved the two blades, signalling his teammates, before restoring Atomizer to rifle form and opening fire. He saw Riley step out of cover, open her mouth... And the gunfire stopped, replaced by an ear-splitting shriek. John was thankful that the SFDs in his ears protected him from the worst of the effects, but most of the rest of the club was not so lucky, as they fell to the ground, hands clapped over their ears as they screamed in pain.

Smiling at this, John watched as Gemina dove behind the bar and started firing at the offenders. Her shots were aimed mainly at their cover, so as to make the enemy easier for the rest of the team to shoot.

As this went on, Azure stepped out of cover, before suddenly vanishing in a flash of blue light, reappearing moments later in the midst of the enemy. The boy's knives flashed, breaking through weak, depleted auras and slicing into their arms and legs, clearly trying to avoid immediately lethal injuries. Gemina was right behind him, her grenades soaring through the air and blasting apart their targets' cover. All the while, Riley continued using her semblance, preventing the gangsters from fighting back as Azure and Gemina went about their work.

An orange light flashed through the room as John summoned several crawlers into the mix, the metal creatures' appearance alone being intimidating enough to force what few gangsters could keep their wits about them through the endless din of Riley's semblance. A few tried to flee, only for bright blue shields to appear in their path. One man, however, managed to get past the Watchers and make a run for the exit. Centering the man in his scope, John took aim for his leg and fired. The bright orange beam crossed the distance in a moment, hitting home with perfect accuracy, punching through the man's weak layer of aura, punching through clothing and meeting flesh. The man screamed as his entire leg disintegrated, and then continued screaming as the disintegration effect worked its way up his body. John's eyes widened in horror as the man he'd shot slowly came apart, writhing in pain and screaming in agony until the disintegrating wave reached his lungs. Even then, he continued thrashing, mouth open in a silent scream, until finally he stilled, reduced to little more than a head. Soon, even that head was gone, taking all evidence of the man's existence with him. Not even a bloodstain had been left behind by the disintegration process.

John was far from the only one horrified by what had just happened. The gangsters in the club were no strangers to death, all of them having seen people die before. Many of them had likely taken a fair few lives before as well. However, to watch one of their own die in such a manner was too much for many of them. What few still held their weapons dropped them, holding their hands in the air as they tried to surrender. That was when John noticed that the sound of Riley's semblance had stopped. Looking down, he saw her staring at him, shock and horror plain on her face

"Holy shit... What did... You just..." DJ stammered out from beside him, snapping John out of his shock. His panicked mind began to whirl. That DJ had just seen him murder someone! If he told someone else...

"I did. I-If you tell anyone else about this, I... I will shoot you too! Make sure the rest of your friends get the message too, got it?" John stammered out, his mind still whirling. DJ just nodded dumbly in response.

What he had seen just now... If Atomizer hit someone without aura, they were dead, no matter how minor the initial impact! If they didn't have enough aura to stop it... His eyes widened. He had shot at his teammates with Atomizer in the many training sessions he'd had with them! He had shot at Ruby with it! How close had he come to killing his friends in such a horrific manner without even knowing it?

With Riley's semblance no longer in effect, and their assailants suddenly weakened, the defending gang had regrouped and was now pushing forward, albeit facing little to no resistance.

"Look out!" DJ's voice caused John to twist around instinctively, allowing him to dodge the sword strike that had otherwise been aimed at his neck. Splitting Atomizer, John assumed a defensive stance. The silver-masked man who had attacked him held his sword in a relaxed guard, apparently unconcerned with the two orange-edged blades in his opponent's hands.

"You should have stayed out of the way." The man said, his voice an emotionless monotone.

"I don't like to let killers run loose in this city. Now surrender! It's over, and you've lost!" John replied, summoning what confidence he could. The man simply laughed, although the sound lacked any mirth.

"This is but a fraction of the people under my command. This is far from over." The man replied, and John was barely able to block the second strike. The force of it impacting his own weapons sent pain lancing through his arm, but he held firm. With their blades locked together, John could easily see that the man's blade was not disintegrating. That was certainly unnerving, as it meant that the man had huntsman training. One of the first thing prospective huntsmen were taught at Signal was how to cycle their aura through their weapon, which served both to teach students how to control their aura and to prevent wear and tear of their weapons, keeping their blades sharp, their mecha-shift systems operating smoothly, and helping to prevent guns from jamming. As John had found out while experimenting with Atomizer, it also prevented the weapons from disintegrating when in contact with his own blades. It was a skill that most normal aura-using criminals were unaware of, but that huntsmen and huntresses were capable of doing instinctively.

"Who are you?" John asked. The man merely smiled, drawing his sword back before pausing. Police sirens were already blaring in the distance, and they were quickly growing closer.

The man simply laughed.

"It appears you have gotten lucky. I will kill you later. Until we meet again." The man said, stepping back and sheathing his sword. John rushed forward in response, his blades lashing out, only for them to pass through empty air as the man stepped into a shadow and vanished.

"Dammit!" John cursed and shifting it back into rifle form, stowed Atomizer away on his back. The battle was over, and John quickly made his way down to where the rest of his team was waiting. As he did so, he recalled his Watchers and Crawlers until only Aries and Harpy remained, the two of them staying close to him.

"You guys okay?" John asked as he walked up to his team.

"Yeah. We're fine. How about you?" Azure asked in return.

"I'm good... Their leader got away though."

"What do you mean?"

"I don't know, he literally disappeared into the shadows. Probably his semblance." John said, rubbing his face. At that, Gemina looked at him, concern plain on her face.

"Are you sure you're okay, John? After all, you did kinda just... Well, you know..." Gemina started but trailed off.

"Killed someone? Yeah, I know... I... I didn't mean to! I just wanted to stop him from escaping, I didn't know my weapon would do that! You guys know that, right? You know I didn't mean to kill him!" John said, stammered out, not looking at his friends, afraid of seeing fear in their eyes.

"It's alright John. We know." Riley quickly said.

"We'll talk about this later, when we have some more privacy." Relief coursed through John at that, and he nodded. That was when police officers began to stream into the club. One of Junior's henchmen walked up to them, and after a short exchange of words, the police began taking the surrendered gang members away.

"Hey." John turned at the unfamiliar voice to see the man DJ had called Junior.

"Thanks for the help. Seriously, were all thought we were dead before you showed up. What's your name?" The man asked.

"I'm John. That's Azure, Riley, and Gemina." He said, introducing his teammates in turn.

"Nice to meet ya. I'm Junior. Owner of this club and the best information broker in all of Vale. You have questions, I can answer them. Now, I don't usually go around saying that, but the four of you helped save my ass, and in my line of work you learn to never leave debts unpaid. So, are you students at Beacon or something? With that kind of gear, I'm not sure what else you could be." Junior said.

"That we are, Junior. We're Huntsmen and Huntresses in training." John replied, a weak smile on his face.

"Well, at least you seem to act the part. Any chance you know a big blond girl? Got one hell of a temper and a mean punch to back it up?" Junior asked, causing John to raise an eyebrow.

"Yang? How do you know her?" Gemina asked before John could respond.

"She came in here a while back and completely demolished the place. Like I said, at least you guys weren't like her."

"Okay, hold on. Before we get too far off track, I want to know what the hell happened here? Who were those people and why were they attacking you?" John asked, steering the discussion back on track.

"Oh, them? They're another local gang. They call themselves the Vale Mafia, but in reality they're just a bunch of thugs led by a psychopath and that Unkillable Bitch who calls herself a lady. They're little more than a bunch of heartless criminals who don't give a damn about who they kill. Hell, my Axes here would make a better mafia than them! Anyway, they call themselves the Blood Red Razors, although everyone just calls them the Red Razors for short. I honestly don't know why they came here, but they did, and they wanted to kill us all for whatever reason." Junior explained.

"Why? What did you do to them?" Azure asked.

"Nothing. They just wanted us gone. For all I know, I didn't give one of their members enough to drink when he stopped by here, or they could be trying to eliminate future competition. These guys like their secrets, to the point where even I don't know that much about them." Junior explained.

"What about that guy in the silver mask? What can you tell me about him?" John asked, suddenly concerned.

"Oh, him? Him I know. His name is Defalco, and the guy's a psycho with a superpowered semblance. He kills just as much for pleasure as he does for profit, and even when his mask is off he never shows emotion. He's the second in command of the Red Razors, and he got that position by killing pretty much all the old Red Razor leaders and helping that Unkillable Bitch take command. From all reports, he's extremely loyal to her, although I honestly know nothing about who she is. Only that she's female, and has crushed so many assassins that people legitimately think she's immortal. But back to Defalco. I know he's been jailed, but I also know that no prison can hold him. Every time he's been arrested, he's escaped. He hasn't spent a single day in an actual prison, and everyone who tries to apprehend him ends up dead. There are rumors going around that he once went toe to toe with Torchwick himself, although those rumors can't be true, I know that for a fact..." Junior trailed off, muttering about how, if those rumors were true, Torchwick would have had to be in two places at once.

"You said something about his semblance. What is it?" John asked.

"Oh, yeah, his semblance. Reports indicate that it allows him to transport himself and other people from place to place using shadows. He can step through one shadow and exit another, and he usually takes stuff with him as he goes. We know he can take people through with him, although judging by the fact that his crew drove here, there must be some limitation on his power that prevented him from sending them all in here for a surprise attack."

"Wow. Sounds like a real piece of work." Azure commented when John didn't speak up.

"...So what do we do now?" Riley said after a minute of awkward silence.

"I think we should take the fight to them." Gemina said. John had to agree. If what Junior said was true, Defalco could even penetrate Beacon's defenses... And the man was coming for him. A cold pit of fear formed in his stomach as that realization took hold.

"But we don't know where to hit them." John finally said, getting a raised eyebrow from Junior.

"But I do. I know that they operate out of that old train yard near the docks. They've got other bases, but that one seems to be the most important one I know of. With a base that close to the docks, they're in a prime position to smuggle drugs overseas, and they currently have complete control over that aspect of the trade. But why are you going to fight them? You guys could just leave. After all, you've got no stake in this." Junior said, and John thought that, for a moment, he saw concern on the man's face. The rest of the club's occupants were staring at him, waiting for his response. John took a deep breath, considering his words, before giving his response.

"Yes, we do. We're huntsmen in training, and it is our job to defend people, regardless of whom they may be. The Red Razors have killed innocents today, and they will continue to do so until they are stopped. Therefore, they are a threat to everyone, and it is our duty as Huntsmen and Huntresses in training to eliminate them." He said. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw a black-haired girl blush and whisper something to another girl, who looked practically identical save for her choice of dress. This in turn caused the other girl to blush.

"Well, whatever your duty may be, my Axes are with you. We'll teach the Razors that it was a mistake to mess with JUNIOR XIONG AND THE AXE GANG!" The man declared, drawing cheers from the rest of the assembled gang members.

"What about the police? Can't they handle this?" Riley asked. Junior just shook his head.

"Nah. The police in this area are all bought off. You saw what happened here, right? The Razors will just hand over some scapegoats to them, the Police will in return take their money and call it case closed. No investigation, no nothing, and everyone will be released in a few months. Plus, even if the police do decide to get off their asses and do something, they'll get slaughtered. Everybody with strong aura reserves becomes a huntsman, huntsman washouts join the VDF, and the police get the VDF recruits that didn't make the cut. Similarly, all the best gear goes to the Huntsmen and VDF, while the police get the cheap shit made by the lowest bidder. The police couldn't do shit even if they tried, the VDF is too busy guarding our borders and making sure the Grimm don't come in to deal with crime within, and Huntsmen charge through the nose when they're not out on the frontier. In short, the police won't help us." Junior said.

"Alright, looks like it's decided. We're taking the fight to them. When do you suggest we strike?" John asked.

"Definitely not today. They'll be on high alert after what happened here, so I suggest letting some time pass before then. Meet me here tomorrow, and I'll have more info on when to strike. For now, I suggest you guys go get some rest. You've earned it with what you did here." Junior said.

"Alright. Tomorrow it is. Be careful until then." John said.

"Don't worry, this little bear won't go down that easily. I'd say the same to you, but you're huntsmen. You guys hunt monsters for a living!" Junior laughed, and turned away.

"Wait!" John said, causing Junior to pause and look back, "I have one more question."

"Yeah? Ask away." Junior said. In response, John removed Atomizer from his back and handed it over to Junior, keeping the barrel pointed down.

"I just want to know. Have you ever seen a weapon like this before? It doesn't have to be identical, just something similar." He asked. For a few minutes, Junior inspected the weapon before he finally shook his head.

"'Fraid not. Never seen or heard of anything like it before. Certainly not something that could disintegrate a man like that. Where'd you get it from anyway?" Junior asked.

"Oh well, it was worth a shot. Unfortunately, I'm afraid I can't tell you where it came from." John said, taking Atomizer back.

"Oh well, we've all got out secrets. Be careful out there." Junior said as he turned and walked away.

"Alright guys, let's go home. I've had enough excitement for one day." John said as he headed out of the club. For once, the rest of his team didn't respond as they fell in line behind him.

* * *

They returned to beacon a few hours later, barely making it in time to catch the last airship before curfew. Nobody spoke, even after they arrived in their dorm. The only sound inside was that of weapons being checked and re-checked. Azure was on his bed, counting and re-counting his knives, while Gemina was looking over her grenades for imperfections. In the corner, Riley was re-filling her weapon's dust stores, and John... John was just sitting on his bed, staring at the weapon that he had used to take a life mere hours earlier.

"Hey John?" Gemina broke the silence.

"Yes Gemina?" He replied, looking up from his weapon.

"Why did you ask Junior to look at your sniper? You made it, right? So why would anyone else have a gun like yours?" Gemina asked, causing him to blink. Once again, he considered what to say. On one hand, Gemina had clearly mellowed out from the angry, abrasive girl she had been back in initiation, and while John still didn't consider her a true friend, he was willing to trust her in battle. However, on the other hand...

"Why do you want to know?" He finally said, weighing his options.

"No reason. Just figured I'd ask." A lie if John had ever heard one.

"Nothing special, really. I was just curious." Gemina arched an eyebrow at that.

"Just curious? Really? John, I saw the look on your face when you asked Junior about that gun. You weren't just curious, you were desperate." John's eyes widened.

"The question, however, is what were you so desperate to know?" Gemina finished, fixing him in her gaze. For a while, John gave no response as he thought. Finally, he sighed. The beowulf would get out of the box eventually, so why not tell them now?

"Atomizer... Atomizer is all I have left of my mother. It's... A very long story. In short, she found it in some underground ruins while on a mission, but when she brought it back, nobody believed her. They called her crazy, so she decided to head out and try to find the ruins again... She never came back. Atomizer and my 'second semblance' are all I have left of her. I honestly don't know how my semblance works. I have a few theories, but I doubt you guys want to get into that kind of discussion." There, the truth, or at least all the truth that Gemina wanted, was out. He hadn't told her about the crystal, but then again she had never asked.

"Oh... I'm sorry. I didn't know." Gemina replied.

"It's alright... Listen, you guys don't think I'm crazy, right? You do believe me, don't you?" John asked.

"Well... Why wouldn't we? We've seen what that weapon can do, so for all we know it did come from some strange underground lab from the Great War. You could have told us that you got this weapon from strange alien robots and we'd have believed you." Azure replied.

"Alien robots would be pushing it." Gemina replied, laughing slightly.

"Well, anyway, it looks like we've all got sob stories of our own." Azure said, leaning back onto his bed. John laughed a little at that.

"Yup. I guess we do."

A knock on the door drew John's attention. Standing up from his bed, he walked up and opened the door. The sight of a distraught Ruby waited on the other side.

"John! Have you seen Blake?" Ruby exclaimed before he could say anything.

"No... Why?" John replied.

"Nevermind! I gotta go!" She replied, disappointment mixed with desperation in her voice as turned away.

"Ruby! Wait!" John called out. Looking back, he saw the rest of his team looking at him, confused expressions on their faces.

"I'll be right back." He said, before running out of the room, Aries trailing right behind him. Fortunately, Ruby was relatively easy to track, as he simply had to follow the rose petals. He found the younger girl alone in the courtyard, sitting on a bench, her face in her hands.

"Ruby?" He called out, causing her to look up. Her eyes were watering, John noted as he sat down beside her.

"It's my fault. It's all my fault." She murmured, her voice choked with sadness.

"Hey, it's okay. What's wrong?" John replied, wrapping his arm around her in an attempt to comfort her. A few tears trailed down her cheek as she continued to cry.

"I-It's Blake! She's gone!" Ruby wept.

"Gone? What do you mean?" John asked.

"I-I don't know. She and Weiss got into a fight, a-and one thing led to another, and she mentioned something about being in the White Fang..." Ruby replied, choking the words out. John's eyes widened at that. Blake was in the White Fang? But she wasn't even a faunus... Or was she? That bow could easily hide a pair of ears, and if she didn't have a tail or any other distinctive characteristics...

"Okay, Ruby, I need you to tell me what happened. Nice and slow." He finally said.

Ruby promptly went on to explain what happened during their trip through Vale, describing how they had run into a Faunus stowaway, Blake and Weiss's resulting argument that went on for several hours, and culminating in Blake running away. She described how she had chased Blake around Beacon, but the other girl had used her semblance to escape. She had spent hours looking all over Beacon for her, and only the curfew prevented her from going into Vale proper. Evidently, the search had exhausted her.

"Well, it does sound like Blake was once part of the White Fang, which means that she was a Faunus. If Weiss said what I think she did, it would explain why Blake acted the way she did." He replied.

"What makes you think that?" Ruby asked.

"The White Fang despises humans. If Blake had any real connection to them, she would have to be a Faunus." Ruby just looked down at that.

"I... If I had... I should have known! I could... I had... It's all my fault." She finished, a few more tears sliding down her face.

"It's not your fault, Ruby." John replied, squeezing her shoulder.

"Yes it is!" She snapped, glaring at him through tearful, silver eyes.

"I'm the team leader! I'm supposed to keep the team together! I should have been able to stop them from fighting when they started! Instead, I let them fight and now Blake is gone and it's all my fault!" She exclaimed, trying and failing to wipe her tears away.

"I'm a failure at a leader." She finished despondently.

"Nope." John replied.

"Nope?" Ruby looked up at that.

"Nope! You can't afford to be a failure, Ruby. Your a leader now. Sound familiar?" He asked. Ruby gave him a gentle punch at that.

"Don't use my own words against me." She muttered.

"You can't see the future Rose, you didn't know this would happen. Arguments are a part of life, and for all you know, if you had stopped them now, they would have just continued their fight again when you weren't around. This was not your fault, Ruby. It could be Weiss' fault, or Blake's, but it is definitely not yours." He replied. For a moment, Ruby was quiet. Then, after a long pause, she looked up and spoke.

"How do you do it?" She asked, her silver eyes meeting his own. The tears around them had dried, leaving only trails behind.

"Do what?" He asked, confused.

"How do you always know what to say?" She asked, leaning into his side and resting her head on his shoulder.

"I honestly don't know. I just say what I feel is right." John replied. The two of them were silent for a few minutes and just sat there, enjoying each others company. Finally, John spoke up.

"So, are you ready to go inside now? It's getting pretty late." The girl leaning against him did not answer.

"Ruby?" Saying her name again, he looked over and saw that she had fallen asleep, and was mumbling something under her breath about cookies. He chuckled at the sight and picked her up. She nuzzled her head against his shoulder as he carried her bridal-style back to her dorm.

He soon arrived at the room in question and he gently kicked the door, his arms being occupied. His heart froze as a drowsy Yang opened the door. As soon as she caught sight of Ruby, the dark hallway lit up bright as day, Yang's hair forming a miniature sun as she stared at him with enraged, crimson eyes. One finger trembling in rage, she pointed at the a bed suspended from the ceiling by an unsafe-looking rope assembly.

"Put her there. Now." Yang growled, and John scrambled to obey. With considerable effort, he lifted Ruby up and into the bed, before turning to face Yang.

"Outside. Now." The blonde growled. Powerless to resist Yang's incredible charisma, he left the room, Yang following right behind him. The blonde shut the door behind them, before turning to face him. For a few moments, neither of them spoke, before suddenly, Yang leaped forward, grabbing his collar and shoved him against the wall. Aries snarled at that, his mouth glowing in preparation to fire, but a frantic signal from his master caused him to stand down.

"Explain. Now." Yang hissed, her face inches from his own.

"Oh my dust I swear nothing happened we were just talking you see and she fell asleep and I carried her up to her dorm that is all that happened I swear!" John exclaimed, speaking as fast as he could. Yang's glare did not lessen at that.

"Don't lie to me. What's your deal with my sister?" She demanded with barely-restrained fury.

"My deal?" John exclaimed.

"Yeah! Who is she to you? Who do you see her as?" Yang exclaimed. For a long moment, John didn't reply. Finally, when Yang cleared her throat, expecting a response, he spoke.

"I see Ruby as my best friend. She was my first friend back in Signal, the first person I could talk to without fear of being ridiculed. I would never even think of doing something to hurt her. I don't know what exactly you see me as, but whatever it is, you're probably wrong." He said, no fear in his voice. For a while, Yang glared at him, her crimson eyes judging him without mercy, before finally she blinked, and those red eyes returned to their normal lilac.

"I can usually tell when people are lying to me, and I don't think you are." She said, finally releasing him.

"That's good to hear. Man Yang, did you have to be so rough?" He asked.

"Sorry. Sometimes I let my temper get the better of me. Can you blame me?" Yang asked, frowning.

"You think? I still remember what you did to that guy when he cut a strand of your hair in that practice match." Yang laughed at that.

"What can I say? I'm protective of my hair. The punishment fit the crime."

"From what I've seen, you're even more protective of Ruby. I'm just glad you didn't pound my head in." John replied, rolling his shoulders.

"I only do that when I know they deserve it." Yang replied, a cocky smirk on her face.

"Oh yeah? So, what did I do to deserve the treatment you gave me?" John asked.

"Look, I said I'm sorry, but for all I knew you were taking advantage of my sister." Yang replied, frowning again.

"Well now you know I'm not. She's my friend, my best friend. Out of curiosity though, are you really so against the thought of Ruby dating?" He asked.

"I... I really don't know. Ever since I was young, I always protected her, you know? I've always been the closest to her, and... Well, I just don't want to see her hurt." Yang shrugged.

"Well, you don't have to worry about that. You said it yourself, you know I'd never hurt her." John replied, smiling.

"That's good to hear. Anyway, how did Ruby end up in your arms?" She asked.

"Well, a few minutes ago, Ruby knocked at my team's door and asked if we knew where Blake was. I said no and she ran off. I wanted to find out what was wrong, so I followed her to the courtyard. When I asked, she told me about how Blake and Weiss had an argument and how Blake ran away. She thought it was her fault that all that had happened, and I told her it wasn't. We stayed out there for a while, before I had realized she'd fallen asleep and I carried her up here. You know what happened from there." He explained.

"Alright. No worries, and sorry again for hurting you. Can we keep this between us?" Yang asked.

"Don't worry. I won't tell anyone if you don't. Can't have anyone knowing that you almost kicked my ass, now can I?" Yang laughed at that.

"Sounds good. Ruby won't have to know what I almost did to her best friend..." Yang trailed off.

"Best friend? Does Ruby really see me that way? What about Weiss?" John asked.

"Yeah, that she does. Weiss is her second-best, from what I've seen at least. She talks about you occasionally, about how you've supported her in the past. Actually, that was one of the reasons I was upset with you. I guess I was jealous that you were there to support her and I wasn't. I guess was afraid of being replaced." She said sadly.

"Yang. I could never replace you. You're her sister and she loves you. Seriously, you don't have to worry." John replied, placing a reassuring hand on her shoulder. She smiled back at that.

"Oh, and before I forget, we're heading into town tomorrow to find Blake. Do you want to come with us?" She asked.

"I'm afraid I can't. We're heading into Vale too, but we've got a meeting to attend and I'm not sure how long it will last. We'll keep an eye out for her though." John replied.

"Really? Well, let me know how it goes... And good luck with whatever it is." She said as she returned to her room.

"Thanks. Good luck to you too." John replied. With a parting smile, Yang turned back to him.

"Good night, John." She said.

"Good night, Yang." He replied as the door closed, before turning, and with a tired yawn, headed back to his room.

* * *

...

WARNING: UNKNOWN ENTITY HAS OVERWHELMED DEFENSES

ATTEMPTING TO ISOLATE

...

...

WARNING: UNKNOWN ENTITY HAS-

 **SINNERS! YOU WHO ATTEMPT TO STOP WHAT IS INEVITABLE SHALL BE THE FIRST TO FALL, JUST AS ALL HAVE BEFORE! YOUR DESTRUCTION IS INEVITABLE! OUR WILL IS ETERNAL!**

-ACCESSED COMMUNICATION SYSTEMS

ATTEMPTING TO RECTIFY

...

...

ENTITY ISOLATED

PARTIAL COMMUNICATIONS RESTORED

ATTEMPTING TO FULLY RESTORE COMMUNICATIONS

INFESTATION PROGRESS RATE EXCEEDING PROJECTIONS

LOCATING RECLAIMER DESIGNATED AS PRIORITY 1 OBJECTIVE

DIVERTING PROCESSING POWER TO DETERMINING RECLAIMER LOCATION

...

...

...

POWER DIVERSION SUCCESSFUL

ESTIMATED TIME UNTIL RECLAIMER IS LOCATED: 75-90 DAYS

* * *

 **Do not worry, my readers! Everything shall be revealed soon! But I know that none of you are stupid. You all know whats going on, you just don't know the details behind it all. And that little bit with the description for Rileys weapon is thanks to** **Warmach1ne32. He helped me out with most of the details for it. The next chapter might take longer to get out, though I'm not sure.**

 **Please review, and as always I'll see you next time.**


	7. Chapter 7 - Extracurricular Activity

**Happy Birthday to me! Now on to more important matters.**

 **ATTENTION - IMPORTANT NOTICE - ATTENTION**

 **This chapter has not been beta'd, as Generatedname is taking some much deserved time to work on his own stories. As such, you'll likely see a decline in quality with this chapter, and I'm sorry for that. And it doesn't help that this is one of the worst chapters I've written. I don't want to leave you guys without a chapter for too long, so I'm giving you this version until Generatedname is finished the chapter. Even though I really don't like how this chapter turned out. Back in September I thought he might be done by November, and that's why this chapter is coming late. When he's done I'll replace this one with the corrected version. Me and Generatedname decided on a LARGE amount of changes for this chapter, so when it's replaced I highly suggest checking it out because it's going to be dramatically different from this one. Also, I would like your 100% HONEST OPINIONS on my writing please! I really want to know what you guys think! Even though this chapter sucks.**

 **Also, I'm starting a new story. It's a RWBY story but with the monsters from Evolve. If you don't know anything about Evolve that's fine. The monsters are fully integrated into the story and have full explanations, so you don't need to know a single thing about Evolve. However if you do read it I suggest looking up pictures of the monsters. Not sure when it'll come out, but it'll be soon. It's already at 8,870 words. If I can keep up at the rate I'm at right now, I might have it out by the end of the week.**

 **Reviews**

 **NathenHale2: You don't have to worry. You won't be seeing any halo 5 plot in this story at all. And thank you for pointing out that mistake. I meant to fix it but I guess I forgot. And I'm happy that you liked the last chapter. So I'm sorry to say that this chapter will probably disappoint you. It is officially the worst one I've written, and it doesn't help that this one isn't beta'd. But please give me your opinion on my writing anyways.**

 **Yeah. The way I look at it is as long as you know how the characters are, you can know what's going on. But one doesn't have to absolutely know the details of the setting, as it's not mainly what a person focuses on. But I'll try to put more detail into the setting in the future.**

 **I have read that story, but I lost interest in it after a while.**

 **Cy: You'll find out in the next chapter.**

 **Guest: You'll have to keep reading ;)**

 **WinstontheNinja: Thanks. So I'm sorry that you'll probably be disappointed by this chapter. ANd they mystery shall be solved next chapter.**

 **Ultramagnus432: You'll see next chapter ;)**

 **Ddragon21: Your right. However that won't be coming until extremely later. You'll understand when chapter 9 comes out.**

 **Vakama: All interesting ideas, that's for sure. There will be some interaction between Penny, John, and his Prometheans. But based off your review, probably not as much as you'd like. And I d**

 **The problem with giving John a combat skin would be that he'd become overpowered. He'd have aura, a natural energy shield, and a Forerunner suit that would enhance everything about him. He'd become unbeatable except to the strongest enemies. But it's still a possibility. But if I do give him one, it won't be anytime soon. That's for sure.**

 **No, I'd prefer to not give any spoilers. But I can tell you that the mystery voice will be revealed next chapter.**

 **Creeperscrafterx10: That is actually where the idea came from.**

 **Halo's Rose: Thank you! I'm happy your enjoying my story so much! Unfortunately this chapter is my worst piece of work so far, so I'm sorry.**

 **PocketDuelMonsters: I'm happy you like it! An interesting idea, but no. The stories aren't related in any way.**

 **Sorry, but no White Rose. It's Orange Rose instead.**

* * *

Remnants Reclamation

* * *

The old abandoned train yard was just that. Old and abandoned. He could see the place in the distance. There were old and rusted trains scattered throughout the yard, and the tracks they sat on were just as bad a state. He had been a fan of trains as a kid and could recognize a select few.

Team JAGR had planned ahead, their ammunition was stocked to the max and they were all well rested. Now all that remained was to capture Defalco.

"You guys ready for this?" John asked his teammates as they approached the entrance to the yard. They all said 'yes' without hesitation. John turned to Junior, who was beside him. "You and your men ready?"

"Yep. Let's get this show on the road" He said. His men were behind them and all armed with either an SMG or a sword. Melanie and Militia, John had recently learned their names, were beside Junior and looked just as ready as the rest.

"Okay. Lets go." The group walked towards the yard.

After a while of walking through the yard with no one in sight, everyone started getting anxious.

"I don't like this. We should have seen someone by now." Junior said.

"It is unset-" John started but was cut off when a loud voice came on over a speaker.

"John Midori." The voice John recognized the voice to be Defalco.

The group stopped and looked around, now on alert for any Red Razor gang members. "How does he know your name?" Azure asked.

"I have no idea." John replied.

"John Midori. You are quite a nuisance. You disrupted my masters plans, arrested all those men. Without you, there would have been no one left to challenge the Red Razors. If only you didn't exist. Alas, you do. But I plan to rectify this. Come to station 3 alone. We shall have our long overdue fight at last." Defalco said over the speaker.

"Ha! You think I'm so stupid as to fight you alone!?" He yelled out.

"No, I don't. Which is why I have taken a young girl captive. She is a Faunus, so not many will care about what I am going to do to her." Riley and Gemina's faces morphed to panic. "But, I am not unreasonable. Come to station 3 alone, and I will release her. Come with others, and she will die. You have five minutes. If you are not here in that time, she will die. You will come. I know you will. I look forward to seeing you again." Defalco finished and shut off the speaker.

John turned to the rest of the group. "Stay here. I'll be back." He said.

"John, you can't! It's a trap! I don't want the girl to get hurt, but I don't want to lose you either!" Azure said to him, desperate to change his mind.

"I know it's a trap, but I got no choice. I won't allow an innocent person to get hurt if I can can avoid it." John replied. "Don't try and change my mind. It's made up." He said when Azure opened his mouth again. He closed it looking dejected.

"John?" He turned to see Riley looking at him. She attempted to say something, but finally managed to say, "Thank you."

John nodded. "Hey kid." John turned to Junior. "Your really selfless, you know that. Just in case you don't come back, it was nice to get to meet you." Gemina elbowed him in the stomach.

John smiled regardless. "You to." He said and turned around and ran in the direction of station 3.

* * *

John entered station 3 and looked around. It didn't look like a train station, it looked more like a big storage room. The room was big and bare. With only concrete as a floor and metal for walls. Despite it's crude look, it was well built. Only the lights by the door were on, the other half of the room was pitch black. He couldn't even see te wall. John wondered if Defalco was able to thicken shadows as well as travel through them.

"Defalco! I'm here! Come out you coward!" John yelled into the shadows.

"I'm right here." Defalco walked out of the shadows. He was still hearing the same outfit that he had been wearing at Juniors club.

"Where's the girl?" John asked. Defalco made a motion with one of his hands. A Red Razor gang member came out of the shadows holding a young Faunus girl who could have been no older then seven. The first thing he noticed was her dog ears. Or rather, lack of. One of her ears had been cut off and the wound was bleeding profusely. The young girl had tears falling down her face and seemed to be struggling to keep her sobs quiet. Johns face contorted to anger and he yelled at Defalco. "You bastard! She's just a little girl!"

"She is an animal that needed to be taught a lesson. She would not stop screaming and fighting, so I showed what would happen if she continued to act as such. She has made barely any noise since." Defalco said, continuing to speak without emotion.

John gritted his teeth. "You're going to pay for that."

"No. I wont." He said and waved the gang member back. The henchmen backed into the shadows, taking the Faunus girl with him. "Shall we begin?"

"Hold on! The deal was you let her go!" He yelled.

"I have changed the deal. You must defeat me if you wish for her to go free."

John growled. "And what's to stop me from getting my friends to help me beat your ass?"

John flinched as he heard the sounds of gunshots. He could hear the sound of Riley's sonic shotgun and Gemina's spike launcher. "You would find your friends preoccupied at the moment. And if you leave to help them, the Faunus will die. Which is more important to you? A random girl you've never met before, of your friends?"

John glared at Defalco hatefully. "My friends can take care of themselves. Stop stalling and let's do this already. He pulled out Atomizer and switched it to falchion form.

"Very well." Defalco said and pulled out his sword.

Right when John thought the fight would finally begin, all the lights except the one above him went out. John realized what was happening. Junior said his semblance was the ability to travel through the shadows. That meant that he could attack John from literally every angle. "Really? Your playing this game? What's wrong? Afraid to fight me man on man?" John winced as he felt a blade slash his back. John turned around to face the attacker but Defalco was already gone.

Deciding to hold off on the taunts, John held his breath, hoping to maybe hear some sound that would indicate where Defalco was. John strained to hear anything. Even the smallest sound. But Defalco must have been trained like a ninja, as he didn't make a sound. John felt another strike at his back. He whirled around to defend himself, but like last time, he was already gone. This was how it went for the next few minutes. Defalco would attack John from behind, but he would disappear before John could attack.

After 5 minutes of this, he was feeling the affects. John was exhausted. Defalco was wittling away at his aura, and John could do nothing about it.

John felt his feet get kicked out from behind him and he fell on his back. His falchions were ripped from his grasp and he felt the cool metal of Defalco's sword on his neck. John moved slightly and felt the sword press harder against his neck. He was trapped. He couldn't move without having his throat slit, and no one was around to help him. He summoned a Crawler out of desperation, but with one quick slash Defalco killed it and the sword was immediately back at his neck.

"I had hoped for a better fight, but regardless of how the fight went, the denouement was the same. Your death. Do you have any last words?" John didn't answer. He wouldn't give him the satisfaction of hearing his dying words. Defalco nodded. "Very well then." Defalco raised his sword. John closed his eyes and waited for the inevitable.

But instead of eternal darkness, John heard a _*clang*_. John opened his eyes to see a white metal humanoid blocking Defalco's blade with it's hand. A term popped into his head. Soldier.

The Soldier kicked the surprised Defalco in the stomach, sending him back and disappearing into the shadows. John pushed his own surprise aside and struggled to his feet. He took a closer look at the Soldier. It was white with orange lines, like the others. It looked big and strong, and it had something akin to horns on either side of its head. Some parts of its body were hovering, not touching the main body yet still moving with it as if they were.

Some sort of big cannon formed in the Soldier's hands. It was long and had an orange shield near the front of the barrel. The Soldier shot a bright orange ball of energy into the shadows. It hit the ground and exploded, illuminating the area around it. John saw Defalco in the brief moment of light. The Soldier must have had heat vision or something similar, because it continued firing into the shadows, each time John saw Defalco jumping away from the light.

John saw his falchions during one of the light bursts and quickly scooped them up and switched to sniper form. The Soldier fired another shot, and when the light illuminated Defalco again, John centered the aiming reticule on his chest. And he fired.

The shot impacted with his chest, the damage was absorbed by his aura, but the sudden and unexpected impact sent him to the ground. Defalco quickly stood up and the shadows began to envelope him again, but another shot from the soldier not only stopped that, but the shot also sent him flying back. He fell to the ground unmoving. "Keep him in the light. We can't let him escape." John said to the Soldier. It made a noise that actually sounded somewhat human. The Solders face light up until it was like a spotlight, aiming right on Defalcos prone form.

John and the Soldier walked towards the seemingly unconscious man. But as they got close, Defalco rolled around and swung his sword at John. The soldier quickly jumped in front of John and caught the chain sword. The Soldier yanked and tore the weapon from Defalco's grasp, leaving him completely defenseless. John walked forward and stepped on the gang members chest. He pointed his sniper at his aura-less body. "Come peacefully, and you won't be harmed."

To his surprise, Defalco laughed. "After everything I've done, everyone I've killed, after Junior surly told you that I can escape any prison, you still want to take me alive." He laughed again. "Your so naive. Always wanting to do the right thing, it will one day be the death of you. And your friends. Kill me. Release yourself from the shackles of your ignorance."

John narrowed his eyes. "I will not kill an unarmed person. You can't hurt me. Nor will you hurt anyone else, I'll make sure you stay behind bars." He said.

He laughed again. "Fool. All it would only take a second of darkness and I would be gone. My master would organize a power outage if he wished. And if that failed, there are still many other ways I could escape. And once I did, I would come for you. Or maybe your friends. What were their names? Azure, Riley, and Gemina?" John's eyes opened in surprise and Defalco laughed again. "Yes. I know their names. I know all about them. Azure is an orphan, Gemina was nearly raped, Riley's parents own a dinner. I know _everything_. And do you know what? Maybe, instead of coming after your friends, I'll come after your family." Johns eyes widened even further. "Gordon Midori. Your father. He would be one of the easiest people I have ever killed, with little knowledge of combat. Do you understand John?" John felt a shiver go down his spine when Defalco said his name. "You can jail me, You can watch me. Maybe you can even keep me there for a few years. But eventually, you will slip up, I will be free, and you will think back to this day, and wonder why you didn't kill me. But if you kill me, you will be shunned by your friends. Don't you see? Regardless of which choice you make, I've already won. The only question left to answer, is what will you do?"

John stood there in silence. Everything he said was right. If he let him live, he would just escape and kill those close to John. If he killed him, his friends would never look at him the same. Even Beacon had a strict rule against killing people. They didn't think good huntsmen and killers could be in the same category. He could be kicked out. But... Being kicked out of Beacon and losing his friends was better then them dying.

John heard a sound behind him. He risked a glance and saw the Soldier hovering over the prone form of the gang member that had been holding the girl. He must have tried to attack and the Soldier broke his neck, judging of the way his head was angled. John always told his summoned to incapacitate, not kill. The soldier must have sensed his delima and figured it was a change of order

John looked back at the commander beneath his foot."... You're right Defalco. But you made one little mistake." John said.

"And what would that be?" He rasped.

"Between having no friends, and having dead friends, the answer is obvious." And with that, he pulled the trigger. The orange beam exited the muzzle and hit Defalco's chest. With that, the mass murder and second in command of the Red Razor gang was converted into nothing more then flecks of light, until even those were gone, and the man known as Defalco was no more.

With his death, the shadow's thinned, and he could see objects in the room once again.

John took a step back and stood there. Just stood there, feeling. Or trying. He wasn't sure what he was feeling. Was it regret? Satisfaction? Disgust? Happiness? He didn't know. He continued standing there for 5 minutes. He felt like he could have stood there for hours. He was going to, but he suddenly remembered the young girl.

John turned to the Soldier. "Find the girl." He said. He was in no mood to be polite, but the Soldier didn't seem to care. The Soldier looked at a wall and revealed a door that said supply closet. John walked over and opened the door. There was the young Faunus with her eyes shut tight and curled up in a ball shivering, likely from shock.

John put Atomizer on his back reached out to the young girl.l He touched her shoulder and she flinched violently as if shocked. "Hey, hey. It's okay. I'm not gonna hurt you. I promise." John said to the frightened girl. The girl slowly opened her eyes and looked at him in fright. "Listen, I need to put pressure on your wound, okay? But it's going to sting." The girl carefully nodded. John ripped off the sleeve of his t-shirt and pressed it where the girls dog ear was supposed to be. She winced in pain and John had to admit, he was impressed that she wasn't crying. He waited until the wound stopped bleeding before taking the makeshift bandage away.

"You see? I just want to help you. You can trust me. What's your name?"

She mouthed, 'Katie.'

"That's a nice name." He held out his hand and she took it. He tried to pull her out of the closet but her eyes opened in fear and she struggled to stay in. He thought for a second. They must have told her that if she left the closet she would be hurt or killed. "Don't worry. They can't hurt you anymore." She stopped struggling but still refused to leave the closet.

'Dead?' She mouthed.

"Yes." John said without thinking and immediately wanted to hit himself. He was such an idiot. Telling her he killed someone wouldn't make her trust him, it would make her want to get as far away from him as possible. So he was surprised when the girl jumped at him and latched onto him like a lifeline in a hug. He could feel silent sobs escape her small body from gratitude and relief. He carefully wrapped his arms around her and lifted her up and carried her out of the supply closet. He mentally told the Soldier to watch out for hostiles and protect the two of then.

He carried her out of the large room and took her back to where he left his friends. The shooting had stopped so he assumed that it was safe now. When he walked around the corner of a train everyone he had arrived with aimed their weapons at him, but lowered them when they realized who it was. John could see some dead Red Razor members littered across the ground. All the wounded and still alive were rounded up and being watched.

His team ran up to him. Luckily none of them were hurt. "John!? You alright?" Azure asked.

"Yeah. I'm good." He said emotionlessly. "But she's gonna need some medical attention. Could one of you guys call an ambulance?"

"Yeah, I got it." Azure said. He pulled out his scroll and walked away from the others to talk without interruption.

"Is that her?" Riley asked, looking at the young Faunus in his arms.

"Yes. This is her." He said.

"What happened to Defalco?" Gemina asked.

"He's dead." He could have lied. He could have said that he escaped or something. But he didn't.

"You killed him!?"

Another chance to lie. He could have said he killed him by accident, or the Soldier did it. But again, he didn't. "Yes."

"By accident, right?"

He could still say yes, he could still have friends. All he had to do was say yes. "No."

Riley and Gemina looked at him in shock. "Why!? Was one kill not enough!?" Gemina yelled at him.

"What's going on?" Before John could reply Junior came over and joined the conversation.

"John killed Defalco on purpose and isn't showing any remorse at all!"

"He did?" Azure said as he returned.

"I wouldn't." Junior said. "The guy was a monster. I mean, just look at what he did to this poor girl." He said and pointed at the young Faunus's missing ear. The three hadn't noticed that. Their eyes widened in shock when they saw the young girls missing ear.

"And he threatened to kill all of you and my dad if he ever got out of prison. I was _not_ going to let that happen." He said in monotone. The sound of sirens reached their ears. "Now if you'll excuse me, Katie needs medical attention." Johns said and headed to the exit of the trainyard to meet the ambulance.

* * *

"There you go! All patched up!" The paramedic said as he finished bandaging Katie's head.

"Thank you." John said. The medic nodded before walking away, likely to help one of the unfortunate Red Razor members, who were wounded en mass. The police and paramedics had arrived just a few minutes ago. All the Red Razor gang members had been arrested and were currently receiving medical attention. Junior's gang had taken off, not wanting to be put on the authorities 'investigate' list. He had given John his number before he left though, saying that he would contact him if he got any new info on the Red Razors. Turns out Junior had a guy working for him with an amazing healing semblance, so any of his gangs wounded could be healed without having to go to a hospital. John didn't know where his teammates were, and he didn't care.

John sat on the back of the ambulance with Katie, who was shaking slightly. "You okay?" He asked her.

She slowly nodded. "Thank you for saving me." She said shakily.

"Your welcome." He replied to the frightened Faunus.

"Why did that man do this?" She asked him.

"Because he wanted me alone so he could kill me, and he used you as a reason to get me alone. And he wanted to kill me because I stopped his latest attack."

"Oh… What's your semblance?" She asked, seemingly trying make conversation. John found this odd. Why would a girl who has just been traumatized such as she has trying to make simple conversation? He pushed those thoughts aside and decided to humor her.

"I can revert back to the position I was 5 or so seconds ago." John answered.

"Then what's that thing?" She asked and pointed at the Soldier, who John had taken to naming Remus. Remus was just standing to the side, watching over the two occupants on the back of the ambulance.

"That's Remus. He's part of my uh, second semblance." It was just so much simpler to say that instead of trying to explain the truth. That and she would never believe the truth.

She tilted her head. "Second semblance?"

"Yeah. I can spawn him, and things like him. It's pretty cool, watch." John then spawned Aries, who had, along with Harpy, seen everything that had happened in the past hour. Aries hopped up on the ambulance and affectionately nuzzled the young Faunus. She laughed in delight and rubbed Aries on the head, causing him to growl in pleasure. "This is Aries. He's kind of like a dog. You know, a dog made of metal with a gun in its mouth." John said.

"That's so cool!" She said with a smile. "What else can you do?"

"Well, there's one other form I can summon, though it's kind of shy when not in battle." John summoned Harpy, and immediately the watcher floated close to his arm, not quite touching but nearly. "It's alright. She's nice. She won't hurt you." John encouraged Harpy. The watcher slowly floated over to Katie, and when in range Katie reached out with one of her small hands and rubbed Harpy's equally small head. The watcher shivered, but John could tell through their bond that Harpy was enjoying it.

She looked at him again. "What else?"

"Well, I have this cool sniper that can switch into two falchions." John demonstrated by slinging Atomizer off his shoulder and switching it to falchion from. "They can cut cleanly through almost anything and vaporize whatever they touch."

"Cool!" She said before frowning.

John frowned in return. "What's wrong?"

She looked him in the eye. "Why were your friends mad at you for killing that man?" She asked.

Johns frown deepened when he remembered that. "Well, they're very against killing. As students at Beacon, we have to be."

"What are they like?" She asked. All the pain in her ear seemingly to be gone.

"Well, there's my best friend Azure. He's the kind of guy who tries to act tough so people won't see him when he's weak. Gemina, she's normal really. Though an extreme man hater, and for good reasons. And finally Riley, a sweet and shy bat Faunus. Doesn't talk too much." He explained.

"And what are _their_ weapons and semblances?" She asked curiously. And that's how it went for the next twenty minutes, with Katie asking about him and teammates and John answering to the best of his abilities. Remus, Aries, and Harpy all watching over the two of them carefully.

They were interrupted when a police officer, dressed in a typical Vale police uniform came over. "Excuse me, but I'm here to escort her to the station." The officer said, motioning at Katie.

"Oh. Okay." John said disappointed. He was really starting to enjoy her company. He turned to Katie. "Well, I guess this is goodbye." She nodded sadly. "You have a good life. Okay?" She nodded again. And to his surprise she lunged at him in a big hug. He wrapped his arms around her and returned the hug. They released each other and she was led to a waiting squad car. The officer opened the back door and Katie stepped inside.

As the car drove away, Katie waved through the window at him. He waved back until the car was out of sight. John sighed. "I didn't even get to learn anything about her. He said and began his walk to the airdock. His team could find their own way home

* * *

A lot of time had passed, and things were more or less back to normal. Blake had returned to her team their relationship better than ever. Ruby informed him of everything. Turned out he was right, Blake was a Faunus.

John's team didn't treat him any different than before his confrontation with Defalco, deciding that killing him was justified, and the world was better off without him. They promised not to tell anyone else about the incident, which John was very grateful for. He couldn't imagine what his friends, or worse Ruby, would think about him if they knew he killed someone. However, his team and Junior weren't the only ones who knew about it. He thought back to the meeting he had with professor Ozpin the day after the train yard incident.

 _"Please. Take a seat John." Ozpin said from his desk._

 _John sat down in the chair in front of Ozpins desk and asked, "What can I help you with professor?"_

 _"I would like to speak with you about the incident that occurred the other day." He replied._

 _"Could you be more specific?"_

 _"The train yard, John. I want to discuss what happened at the train yard."_

 _"Oh." John slumped in his seat. He had been hoping to avoid this._

 _"Now then." Ozpin leaned over his desk. "Tell me what happened."_

 _"Why? You obviously already know."_

 _"Yes. But when a story is explained from one who was there you discover details that you previously didn't know about. And I'm certain that this story will be no different. If nothing else, indulge me."_

 _John sighed and began re-telling the events that had happened in the past two days. When he finished Ozpin sat there in stony silence. Oddly, it was more unnerving when professor Ozpin was quiet than when he was talking._

 _Finally, he said, "You know that the law states that one can't kill another human or Faunus. And that killing is against everything a huntsman or huntress stands for. You do understand that you have committed a very serious crime?"_

 _"Yes sir, I do." John replied._

 _"You know that I could expel you from Beacon at the least, and arrest you at the most?"_

 _"Yes sir."_

 _"You know that what you've done could lead to the very end of your own life?"_

 _"Yes sir."_

 _"I have just one question." John looked the headmaster in the eyes. "Do you regret it?"_

 _John was silent for a minute. Finally, he said, "No. I don't. He threatened to come after my friends and family, and so I made it so he never could. I would gladly die for them, and if I have to go leave the school or to prison for keeping them safe, I'll do it."_

 _The silence between them was deafening. Neither one made a single sound besides their breathing. Finally, Ozpin broke the silence. "Very well. You may return to your dorm."_

 _"Wait. What!? You're not going to kick me out of Beacon!? Or send me to Jail!?" John asked surprised._

 _"John. Tell me why we fight the Grimm."_

 _"With all due respect, why?"_

 _"Humor me."_

 _John looked at the ground. "Well, we fight them because if we don't then they'll destroy us. They constantly want to kill us and so we defend ourselves and keep the people safe."_

 _"Precisely." Ozpin turned around in his seat. "You were carrying out your duty, protecting the people. If what I've heard about Defalco is true, and I'm sure it is, then this world is far better off without him. He was as bad if not worse than the Grimm." Ozpin explained to John._

 _"… I think I understand sir." John stood from his seat and made for the door._

 _Before he exited, he stopped and turned to the headmaster. "Professor Ozpin?" He turned to look at John. "Thank you." The headmaster nodded and John left the office._

John couldn't be more thankful to professor Ozpin for not turning him into the authorities or kicking him out of Beacon. Or, worst of all, informing his father. John was in debt to the headmaster, that much was certain.

John was brought out of his daze when a grape hit his head. He narrowed his eyes at Nora, who just pointed at Ren. John just shook his head and looked around the table. Team RWBY, JNPR, and JAGR were all in the cafeteria for lunch, and Aries was underneath the table at his master's feet. The only thing missing was Ruby.

He tuned out his friends conversation and came back to a subject he had been thinking a lot about lately. After he had killed Defalco, he expected to feel something. Sadness, or maybe shame. But he didn't, he felt nothing. And that _worried_ him. Sure, Defalco deserved it and the world wouldn't miss him, but he should have felt _something_. Shouldn't he have? After all, killing another human being wasn't a little thing. It could cause major stress on a person's sanity and personal wellbeing. But still, John felt nothing, and that wasn't right. Was it?

John was once again brought out of his daze when something heavy landed on the table him and his friends were eating at. John looked and saw Ruby with a GIANT binder that had the words 'Vytal Festival Activities – Property of Weiss Schnee' scratched out with red marker and written in its place in said red marker, was the words 'Best Day Ever Activities.' "Sisters. Friends. Weiss." John had to hide a smile at Weiss's indignant 'Hey!' "Four score and seven minutes ago, I had a dream." Ruby said.

"This odda be good." Yang said and caught a grape in her mouth, courtesy of Nora.

"A dream that one day, the four of us would come together, as a team, and have the most fun anyone has ever had. EVER!" She exclaimed, causing John to snort at her little presentation.

"What are you talking about?" Blake asked.

"I'm talking about kicking off our semester off with a bang!" The energetic reaper replied.

"I always kick my semesters off with a Yang!" Everyone at the table groaned.

"If only our auras could protect us from Yang's horrible puns." Azure groaned.

Yang scowled at him. "Hey! My puns are not _that_ bad!" Her only response was an apple being thrown at her head by a random student, followed by a 'Boo!' This caused her to growl and retaliate with her own apple.

John felt his Scroll vibrate in his pocket. He took it out and saw it was Junior. "Excuse me. I have to take this." He excused himself from the table and walked outside, with Aries trailing behind. He answered his Scroll with, "Yo, Junior! What's up?"

"Not much kid. Not much. Called to let you know the good news. I found the Red Razors headquarters." He said with obvious pride in his voice.

"Really!? That's great! When do we strike?" John asked excited.

"Not sure. Come here in a few days and we'll talk about it. I'm still working out the details and learning all I can about the place."

"Will do. We'll head over to the club in three days. How's that sound?"

"Good. I'll see you then." Junior said and hung up.

John walked back to the cafeteria, planning to inform his team of the recent development. He entered the cafeteria and, to his shock, it was far different from when he left it. Tables were overturned, food was everywhere, including the roof. To his left, he saw a monkey Faunus with bright yellow hair and an open shirt watching in awe. And beside him was a kid with blue hair, who was covered in food. He saw team JNPR peeling off the wall, covered in brilliant colors with food. Weiss and Blake were lying on the ground, and Yang was nowhere to be found. John saw his teammate Azure's feet sticking out of a giant pile of whipped cream. Meanwhile Riley and Gemina were taking cover behind an overturned table. "I wasn't even gone 5 minutes." He muttered to himself as he admired the chaos.

Out of the corner of his eye he saw Ms. Goodwich storm through the main doors. He quickly got out of her way in hopes of avoiding her obvious fury. She blocked an attack of plates and food and, in a spectacular display of her powers, she sent tables flying into the air and back to their places and the food that was used as ammunition to the garbage. "Children. _Please._ Do not play with your food."

Yang, always the one to ruin the moment, fell through the roof causing everyone, excluding Mrs. Goodwhich to laugh. John walked up to his friends and said, "Looks like I missed quite the party."

"I'll say!" Azure said. He must have extracted himself from his creamy prison when he wasn't looking. John looked at him and laughed. He had whipped cream all over his clothes and had a cherry on top of his head.

"You look like an ice cream cone!" John managed through his laughter. Everyone noticed what Azure looked like and joined in. Gemina and Riley were covered in food as well. Gemina looked like she had been attacked by a swarm of blueberries, based on the fact that she had little circles of blueberry juice all over her clothes and skin. Riley looked like she had jumped into a pool of milk, considering that there was milk dripping from her soaked clothes.

"Okay! Okay." John said as he got his laughter under control. "I think we should go and get you guys cleaned up. Come on, let's head to our room. We'll see you guys later." John said to team RWBY and JPNR as he led his team to their room to get cleaned up.

"Bye John!" Ruby, along with everyone else said to john and the rest of team JAGR.

After they exited the cafeteria, John asked, "So what the heck happened?"

"Long story short, Nora threw a pie in Weiss's face, and things escalated from there. And I'm pretty sure I saw Yang use two turkeys as boxing gloves." Gemina explained.

"She did." Riley informed her best friend.

"Now I wish I had been there to see THAT. Anyways, we got word from Junior. He's found the Red Razors main base. He's currently looking into it a bit more before we hit it. We'll be heading over in three days." John explained. "But before anything else, we're gonna clean you guys up. You're a mess."

* * *

The three days passed quickly, what with nothing but studying and training. They were all ready for some real action.

John and his team walked into Juniors club. The place looked much better than it had a couple weeks ago. They could hear music playing in the club. They walked up to the two guards that were posted on either side of the giant double doors. "We're here to see Junior." John said to them.

One of them nodded. "Go on in. He's expecting you."

John nodded back, and walked past the giant doors, Aries and John's team following behind. They saw Junior behind the bar and walked over. "Junior! It's good to see you!" John said with a smile. He liked Junior, slightly criminal or not.

Junior returned the smile. "You to kid. So, you ready to get started?"

"Wait. We're attacking them now?" Azure asked confused.

"No, we're just gonna discuss the details Junior found out. Go ahead Junior." John said.

Junior nodded. "Alright. So their main base of operations is in that old abandoned T-100 production factory. As any main base would be, it has heavy defenses. And by that, I mean there are a lot of people there. More that I've got at least. I'm going to have to pull some favors if we want to have equal manpower to them. And if you could get some more people I suggest that you do."

"We don't really know anyone. Sorry." John said apologetically.

"We could always ask our friends for help." Riley suggested helpfully.

"That's a good idea." Gemina said.

"Yeah. We could do that. If Junior can't get enough help then we'll ask them. I'd prefer not to have them risk their lives if they don't have to." John said.

Suddenly, the two guards from before ran inside and shut the doors. "What are you two idiots doing!?" Junior yelled up at them.

The two 'idiots' were yelling at the same time, so no one could tell what they were saying. It didn't matter though when an explosion blew the doors open and sent the two guards to the ground.

John and his team brought their weapons to bear. "What is it? The Razors?" Gemina asked seriously.

Junior rubbed his forehead. "Worse." He said and walked towards the door. Team JAGR followed the obviously nervous club owner.

A crowd of Henchmen had gathered at the door, and John couldn't see who it was that had entered. "Guess whose back!?" John heard a familiar voice yell.

All of the henchmen brought out their guns and pointed it at the origin. John looked at his teammates and said, "Is that Yang?" They all nodded with equal looks of confusion on their faces.

"Yeah, so could you define friend for me?" John heard a new voice say, one he didn't recognize.

"Stop! Stop! Nobody shoot." Junior said as he pushed his way through the crowd. When he go to the front, he said, "Blondie. You're here. Why?" John could hear the worry that laced his voice.

"You, still owe me a drink." A moment later, John saw Yang dragging Junior through the crowd. When she saw John and his team, her eyes widened in surprise. "John!? What are you doing here!?"

"I could ask you the same thing." He replied as he slung his weapon on his back when he realized there was no threat. His team followed suit.

"I'm here to ask Junior here a question." She said and yanked Junior forward to emphasize her point. "Your turn."

"We were here discussing our next movement against the Red Razors when you came here and blew up the doors."

"Oh. Well sorry, I just need a quick word with him and then you guys can get back to your meeting." She then proceeded to drag a terrified Junior over to the bar, with John and his team in tow.

Yang let go of Junior at the bar and said, "Now then. I want some information. Where's Roman Torchwick?"

Junior walked behind the bar and poured himself a drink. "I don't know." Junior said simply and downed his drink in one go. John and his team decided to stay back and out of the conversation.

Yang replied with a scowl. "What!? What do mean you don't know? How could you not know?"

Junior slammed his glass on the bar. "I haven't talked to him. I haven't even _seen_ him since the night you first came in here. He paid up front, I lent him my men, and none of them ever came back." He emphasized the last few words.

The blue haired guy popped up out of nowhere and said, "So where did they go?"

Junior slowly looked over and glared at him. "What kind of stupid question is that? They never came back. Who is this guy?" Junior asked Yang and motioned at the blue haired kid.

Yang held a hand in front of him and said, "Don't worry about him. Worry about me if I don't find out what I want."

"I already told you everything. Torchwick hired my boys, and I guess he wasn't happy with them."

"Fine. What about the White Fang?" Yang changed the subject.

"Nothing. I know absolutely nothing." Junior said convincingly, but John knew he was lying. He had learned from Melanie and Militia that Juniors eye twitched when he was lying. It was barely noticeable, but John saw it. .

"Come on Neptune." Yang said, but just as they were about to leave John spoke up.

"Junior. I'll have you know Yang is a good friend of mine, so if you know anything, please tell her." John said.

Junior looked at him, and then at Yang, who was now looking at him expectantly. Finally, he sighed. "Fine. I might have heard that the White Fang acquired some of the new Atlas Paladins."

"How'd they do that when they aren't even being used by Atlas yet?" Gemina asked.

"Beat's me. That's all I've heard." Junior said ending the conversation.

"Wait. Wait. I'm lost here. What's a Paladin?" Neptune asked.

"It's a new war machine that Atlas has made. It's big and has lots of guns." Gemina explained.

"Oh. Okay, that's bad." Neptune stated obviously.

"How do you know that?" John asked Gemina.

She shrugged. "I'm into robotics. Sue me."

"So now we just have to deal with the problem of you lying to me." Yang said to Junior with an evil smile. She cracked her knuckles, causing Juniors face to pale. She walked towards him with a sway in her hips, only to be stopped by John.

"Stop Yang. He told you what you wanted to know, now leave him alone." He said sternly.

"But he lied to me."

"And that's something he won't do any more now that he's knows your with me."

Yang glared at John for a moment. "Fine. But if he lies to me again then not even you will be able to save him."

"I'm sure he won't-" John was cut off when Yang's Scroll rang.

Yang got out her Scroll and answered it. John recognized Blakes voice coming out of it. "Everyone! If you can hear me, we need backup- Heeelp!" Blake was cut off by an unfamiliar voice. "Big robot! It's big! Really big! That Torchwick guy's in it! But not like- It didn't eat him! He's like, controlling it or something! He's been chasing us all the way from the White Fang rally! Why is he so persistent!?" The unknown voice cried out hysterically.

"Where are you guys?" Yang asked.

"84th avenue! Heading onto the highway!" Blake yelled.

"That's right by the club!" Riley yelled out.

"Well, what are we waiting for? Let's go!" Azure yelled.

"Hang on. If Roman came from a White Fang rally, and he's using a big robot, I'm willing to bet that the big robot Romans in is one of the Paladins Junior just said the White Fang got. And if it is, then we'll have a hard time catching up with him. I read up on the specifics for the Paladin, and trust me. It's fast. Maybe faster than us." Gemina explained.

"You guys can use our new truck. It's around back, we got it after the Razors. Just try not to break it! It was expensive!" Junior yelled and threw John a pair of keys.

John looked at his team and held out the keys and asked, "Who knows how to drive?"

"I do!" Azure said enthusiastically.

John sighed. "I'm probably going to regret this." Disregarding the feeling of dread that was building in his stomach, he threw Azure the keys and ran outside with Yang and Neptune. They got on Yang's bike and John said, "You guys go on ahead! We'll catch up!" She nodded and took off, with Neptune holding on tightly to the seat.

John and his team walked around to the back of the club. Azure's jaw dropped at the sight of the truck. "I think I'm in love." He said. The truck was jacked up and obviously armored. It had six wheels total, to in the front, and four in the back It was black with cool looking red patterns all over it. But the piece la resistance was the minigun on the back. It was black with a red stripe on each of its six barrels, and some red where the trigger was. It had the image of a flame on the side of it, indicating that it fired incendiary rounds.

"Okay! Everyone in!" John said. John got in the passenger seat, while the girls got in the back. John decided to recall Aries for the ride. Azure got in the driver's seat and started up the truck. "Okay! Head for the highway!"

Azure slammed on the gas and they shot out of the ally. Azure said that he knew how to drive, but John figured he should have asked who could drive well, as Azure followed none of the obvious road rules. He drove through red lights, drove on the wrong side of the road, and sometimes he would drive on the sidewalk if there wasn't anyone on it. John and the girls were white knuckling the grab handles by the time they reached the highway. There were dozens of trashed cars all over the place, and the sound of sirens could be heard in the distance.

"Do you see them?" John asked as he slowly pried his hand off the grab handles.

"Nope. Wait! Look! A patch of ice!" Azure pointed out. Sure enough, there was a large patch of white ice on in the middle of the road.

"Weiss must have been here." Gemina said helpfully from the back.

Azure swerved around the ice and saw something else. "Look! One of the crash barriers are down! Something really heavy must have gone threw it!" He said as he slowed the truck to a stop.

"You thinking what I'm thinking?" John asked.

"Weiss made the Paladin slip and it went through the barrier." Azure replied.

"So how do we get down there?" Riley asked. At this, Azure got a wicked grin on his face.

"Azure? What are you planning?" John asked worried.

He looked at his leader and said, "You should hang on." He floored the gas and the truck sped towards the offline barrier.

"Oh, shit shit shit shit shit SHIT!" John screamed as he tightened his seatbelt. John and the girls screamed as the truck dove off the edge of the highway, while Azure was whooping in delight. As the truck fell, John saw team RWBY facing the Paladin Torchwick was in, but it was missing both its arms. The truck soared down as the Paladin looked up, and the truck landed right on the Paladins 'stomach.'

The back wheels landed by the Paladins feet. John and the girls groaned. John looked over at Azure, but the only thing there was an open door. John didn't have any time to think on it because, amazingly, the Paladin started to get up. The Paladin leaned up, only to get a face full of bullets. John understood now, Azure had gotten on the minigun.

At such close range, the minigun tore up the cockpit into an unrecognizable pile of metal. The hatch blew off the Paladin and Torchwick ejected out of it and the miniguns harmful barrage. Azure stopped firing the minigun and aimed it at Torchwick, who was getting up while saying, "Just got that thing cleaned."

John and the girls got out of the truck, a little dizzy, but still oriented enough to pull out their weapons and aim them at Torchwick. John saw Yang, whose eyes were red and hair was practically white, fire a round at Roman. But it was blocked when a small girl dropped down from above and deflected the round with her umbrella. She reminded John of ice cream, with half of her hair brown and the other half pink. The same with her eyes.

Roman tited his hat at the two teams. "Ladies, psychos. Always a pleasure. Neo, if you would." The girl identified as Neo bowed to the two teams. Yang, the ever impatient one, rushed at the two with a scream. But when she struck them, they broke apart like glass.

The sound of a Bullhead reached their ears, and everyone looked up to see Roman and Neo flying away in a bullhead before the doors closed. Quickly bringing his weapon to bear, John fired his weapon at the Bullheads left engine, causing it to erupt into flame, and the Bullhead to quickly begin to fall to the ground.

"Quick! Everyone in the truck! Hopefully we can get to the crash site before they escape!" John yelled.

Without question, everyone got in the truck. John, Azure, Gemina, and Riley all in the same places. Ruby got in the back of the truck as well, but since there was no more room, Blake, Weiss, and Yang got in the very back. Predictably, Yang got on the minigun. Azure backed off the destroyed Paladin and quickly drove in the direction of the Bullhead's crash site.

"John! What are you doing here!? And where did you get this truck!? It looks awesome!" Ruby squealed.

"We were in town doing business with someone. As for the truck? For now, let's just say I borrowed it from a friend. So how did you guys end up fighting a Paladin?" John asked in reply.

"Long story short, we were investigating the White Fang and Roman, I'm not exactly sure why Roman was chasing Blake and Sun." Ruby said.

"Who's Sun?"

"One of our friends. You might have met him. He's a monkey Faunus, he has yellow hair, always wears an open shirt?"

"Oh! Yeah, I've seen that guy before. So why were- AZURE! WATCH OUT!" Azure swerved just in time to avoid hitting a women that was crossing the road, and in the process drove on the sidewalk and took out a light pole, a tree, and a mailbox. John was just thankful there were no people on the sidewalk. "You know what, I'll ask ya later Ruby. Right now I'm going to focus on making sure this idiot doesn't kill anyone." He said fixing said person with a glare. But said person just shrugged and said, "If you don't like my driving then either shut up or get out."

"We're in a moving truck!"

"Exactly."

* * *

A few minutes later they arrived at the crash site. Luckily, the bullhead crashed in a mostly empty parking lot. There were a few destroyed cars around, but no bodies thankfully.

Everyone got out of the truck. Weiss immediately stumbled up to Azure. "Are you CRAZY!? You call that driving!? You could have killed someone! OR US!"

John chuckled at Azure getting told off for his shitty driving. But then she whirled on him. "And you! DO you really think shooting down an aircraft over a city of people is a good idea!? You're just lucky it didn't land on a building!"

Before John could respond, Ruby got in-between them and pushed them apart. "Okay! Let's not attack each other. How about everyone splits up and looks for Roman. Alright?" Weiss and John walked away from each other, but not before sending one last glare at one another. Everyone spread out to look around.

"Does anyone see anything!?" Ruby yelled out after a few minutes, but everyone responded with negatives.

John went up to the Bullhead and inspected it. It was mangled beyond repair. Its right wing was ripped off and lying several meters away. The left wing had been bent and its engine was torn open. John could see that the inside of the engine was missing some components, courtesy of Atomizer. The entire tail section was on fire, and the doors looked to have been forced open, which means that its occupants must have survived. John stepped into the ruined aircraft and made his way to the cockpit. He the door was closed and bent inwards, meaning either the criminals couldn't get the door open or didn't try to.

John forced open the door and looked at the seats. There were the bodies of both pilots, White Fang members. One looked to have died on impact from a broken neck, based on the way his head was angled oddly. The other had a bullet hole in his head. Considering the fact that the bone was sticking out of his left arm and that his ribs were sticking out of his clothes, he put the pistol in his hand to his head to spare himself the slow agonizing death he would have surly experienced.

He forced the door shut as he left. No one else needed to see that. He walked off the ruined Bullhead and walked to his friends, who had gathered in a group a few meters away.

All conversation stopped when John approached. "You guys find anything?" He asked.

Everyone shook their heads as a response. "What about you?" Yang asked.

"Nothing. They're gone. Both pilots are dead. Roman and that Neo girl never even attempted to help them." John said.

Everyone looked sad for a moment. But when Weiss saw John's blank face, she commented. "Do you not feel bad at all for what you did?"

"Of course I do. I just don't show it." He replied in monotone.

"Why not? You just ended the lives of two misguided Faunus who will now never be able to right their wrongs. Don't you at least owe it to them to show your emotions over their deaths?" Blake asked with a slight hint of anger in her tone.

John sighed and frowned. "I suppose your right Blake. On another topic, it's getting late. We should probably head home, I'll be waiting in the truck."

* * *

Junior wasn't very happy about the damage done to his new vehicle. But since it wasn't major he forgave them.

The crashed Bullhead had been was being cleaned up, and with none of their services being required, the two teams had gone back to their dorms to sleep off the fight.

That was where he was, peacefully sleeping in bed. At least, he was until Aries woke him up by biting his hand. John jumped up in bed. "Ow! What was that for!?" John whisper-yelled, so as to not wake his teammates. Aries softly barked once, and then tried to send an image into Johns mind. John let it in and looked at it. Amazingly, it was kind of like a 'video' in X-ray vision. John saw someone leaving team RWBY's room, from their size and shape John thought it was Ruby. He noticed that the 'X-ray vision also allowed him to see an outline of the sleeping forms of the rest of team RWBY. John patted Aries's head. "Thanks." He said before he got out of bed, put on a shirt, and left to find the person. With Aries following, of course.

With Aries occasionally helping him with his 'X-ray' vision, John found the person in the library. That person just so happened to be Ruby. John recalled Aries, leaving him and Ruby the only ones in the library. She was sitting at one of the tables with her head on her arms with her back to John. He walked up to her and said, "You okay Rose?"

She jumped out of her seat and turned to him with a look of shock on her face. She calmed down when she saw that was only John. "Oh, hey John." She said and sat back down.

John pulled up a chair to sit beside her. "What's wrong?" He asked.

"It's nothing." She said in an obviously sad tone.

"It's clearly not."

"No. It's stupid."

"Ruby. Tell me what's wrong. Please."

She sighed and said, "I… Had a bad dream."

So that was the problem. "What was it about?" John asked seriously. Whatever she dreamed about clearly left an impact. John couldn't help but wonder what could affect such a cheerful girl so much.

She was silent for a few minutes, and John sat there patiently beside her. "My mom." She finally said.

"Oh... Do you want to talk about it? I've heard that talking about your fears helps you deal with them."

She sighed and began. "I… I dreamt of the day she died. It was horrible, and it felt so real. I saw her get torn apart by Beowolfs, and I could do nothing about it." She looked him in the eyes. "I heard her scream John."

John wrapped an arm around her comfortingly, and she leaned into the embrace. "It's okay, it wasn't real. How often do you have these dreams?"

"Not often. But ever since my mom died, I've had them every now and then."

"Why didn't you wake up Yang? Why did you just come here?

"I wanted to be alone."

"Well that didn't work out for you did it?" John asked humorously.

She chuckled softly from within their embrace. "I guess not."

They just sat there for a few minutes enjoying each other's company. "…You know," John broke the silence. "I lost my mom as well."

Ruby's eyes widened in surprise and looked at him. John smiled in slight amusement at her reaction. "Yeah. She was a Huntress, and a good one at that. But one day she went out on a mission with her teammates. It went bad. Long story short, she was the only survivor. They say that she went insane, ran into the forest and died because she couldn't cope with the death of her friends. I was really young when it happened. I don't even have any memories of her."

John could see the sadness in Ruby's eyes as she hugged him tighter. "I'm sorry. I'm sure she was great."

John sighed. "I only wish I could know that for certain." He replied.

The room plunged into silence and remained like that until Ruby spoke. "… My mom was the best. She baked the best cookies and slayed monsters with style. She was everything I could have asked for. But… One day she went out on a mission… She never came back."

Tears formed in the corner of her eyes, and now it was John's turn to hug her tighter. "I'm sorry as well. But at least you have your memories of her. You should always focus on the good times you had with her." She nodded sadly.

Silence filled the room once more. "…What was her name?" John asked.

"Summer. Summer Rose. We made a tombstone for her on her favorite cliff overlooking the forest." She said with a fond smile.

"I'm afraid we didn't do something that nice. The tombstone we made for my mom is just in the local cemetery close to our home. But the person that runs the place is an old family friend, so he made her a special place away from all the other graves." John said.

"That's still nice. At least you made something for her." Ruby replied.

"Yeah, I guess so."

After a while, John asked, "Do you think you can get back to sleep now?"

"Yeah, I think so." She said. They both stood up and left the library. The walk back to their dorms was done in silence. When they got to their rooms John faced her and said, "Well, you have a good sleep Ruby."

"You too." She said, but she seemed nervous. She walked up to John, the top of her head just reaching his eyes. She stood on her toes, and kissed him on the cheek. She backed up with a blush on her cheeks.

"Thanks for comforting me. Goodnight John." She said before entering her room, leaving a shocked and blushing John standing dumbly in the hallway. John reached up and touched his cheek. He smiled stupidly and entered his room. He summoned Aries, who appeared on his bed. John could feel the amusement rolling off the Crawler. But John didn't care. He had just been kissed by a girl for the first time in his life. Except for maybe his mom, but she didn't count.

John crawled into bed and fell asleep with a smile on his face. Happy that he felt closer to Ruby than ever before.

* * *

 **And done! And I still don't like this chapter.**

 **Speaking of chapters, the next one will also take longer to get out. Probably not until the end of December or beginning of January.**

 **Nonetheless, please review and as always, I'll see you next time.**


	8. Chapter 8 - Tsunami Warning

**A/N: So sorry for the wait. But what can I say? Shit happens and I got busy. Same with Generatedname, which is why this chapter is unbeta'd. You're reading raw Phantomwa1ker work with a little editing thanks to Generatedname's suggestions.**

 **Reviews**

 **halo is bad ass: Thank you. I'm glad you liked the car scene. I wasn't sure if I was stretching the walls of reality on that one.**

 **WinstontheNinja: Thank you. I hope you enjoy this chapter even though it's not the best. However I think you'll like the next chapter much more.**

 **Jack54311: I'm happy you enjoyed it. And thank you for sharing your thoughts on the chapter, not too many people do that. Sorry about the errors. You may see Katie again in the future, but there's a chance it's a ways off.**

 **Alpha701: Thank you! I have a feeling you're going to love the next chapter.**

 **Phantom: You're right. But thing's aren't quite as what they appear.  
**

 **X-10 Killbot: Finally! My first negative review! I honestly expected one much sooner. Anyway's, I;m sorry you didn't like my story. However, keep in mind that this if my fisrt story, which is still much better then most people's first stories. I'll take your criticism and use it to try and improve my story in the future.**

* * *

Remnants Reclamation

* * *

" _That_ was anticlimactic." Azure commented on the recently ended match. One of the Haven students, Mercury, was fighting Pyrrha. But instead of finishing it, he just gave up.

"You... Don't even want to try?" Pyrrha asked dumbfounded.

Mercury shrugged. "What's the point? You're a world renowned fighter. We're clearly leagues apart."

"Well then," Ms. Goodwitch said clearly irritated. "It appears Pyrrha Nikos is the victor of the match, once again." She said, referring to earlier when she decimated team CRDL in a 1V4 match. "Next time you may want to think a little harder before choosing an opponent." She said.

"I'll be sure to do that." Mercury said sauntered off the floor.

"Now then, we have time for one more match. Let's see who will be fighting." She said as she tapped the data pad in her hand. The two screens went through the randomization processes before finally settling on a picture of a brown skinned girl with green hair and red eyes, and John.

"The match will be between John Midori and Emerald Sustrai. Both of you, please get your equipment and make your way down to the floor." Ms. Goodwitch said.

John got up and and rushed to the locker room to grab his stuff.

* * *

John walked across the floor to his position across from Mercury with Atomizer in his hand. The girl, Emerald, was already there waiting for him. "Don't expect me to go easy on you." She said with a playful smile.

John chuckled. "Don't worry. I can take a beating." He replied in an equally playful manner.

"You may both begin when ready." Ms. Goodwitch's said.

For a brief moment, Emerald and John simply stared at one another, waiting for the other to make the first move.

Suddenly John brought Atomizer to bear and opened fire in quick succession. Emerald quickly pulled out her weapons, two jungle green guns that looked to be like some sort of revolver, and nimbly dodged most of the beams as she closed the gap between them.

When John decided that she had gotten too close for comfort, he switched Atomizer to falchion form.

As she approached she jumped and launched a spinning round house kick at his head. John ducked underneath it and immediately swung a falchion at her back.

As soon as she landed she turned around and swung one of her weapons at him as if she was going to throw it. Mid-arc, a blade unfolded and detached from the weapon and sailed towards John.

Surprised by the sudden chain blade, John was unable to dodge it as it wrapped around his waist and dragged him towards her. Just before he collided with her, she swung her other weapon at him, the blade unfolding and striking him backwards.

John stood back up just in time to block an overhead strike from her. He pushed the blade away and they exchanged a series of blows until finally, John was able to break past her defenses and hit her with his left blade. She slid back across the floor before stopping. She looked at him and gave a sly smile.

John didn't like that. An opponent who wasn't afraid or even cautious of you was either very cocky, or they were planning something to take you by surprise.

John circled Emerald, keeping his knees bent, ready to dodge at the slightest sign of movement. Emerald circled him in sync while spinning her chain-blades around her.

All of a sudden she then started sending strike after strike at John, each attack coming from different directions. John was able to deflect most of them, but every so often she would get a hit on his aura, however he was able to do the same to her. John was able to push her backwards a couple of meters, but as he did this Emerald seemed to become annoyed. Perhaps she thought that being pushed back was a sign of weakness. Whatever the reason, she took a few steps back before running and swinging at him with her blades. But just as the blades were about to come into contact with him, John activated his semblance, sending him backwards a couple meters to where they were fighting a few moments ago.

Surprised by this, Emerald missed John switching Atomizer to sniper form and didn't see him fire at her. One beam connected, then a second, by then she was able to dodge the rest of the shots in the clip.

As John reloaded, she fired her revolvers, causing John to go on the defensive, dodging her bullets and even deflecting some of them with his falchions, but about half of them hitting him. While he was distracted, she launched her left chain-blade at him while continuing fire with her right.

John wasn't going to fall for the same trick twice. Allowing his aura to take the hit, he stopped dodging and sheathed his right falchion. As the incoming blade approached him, he rotated on his right foot, allowing the blade to sail past him. With his right hand, he grabbed the chain and yanked.

He heard Emerald gasp as she was suddenly moving towards John, and surprised by the move, she failed to dodge his elbow that came out and struck her in the face. With her head suddenly stopping and her feet still moving, momentum forced her onto her back.

John was instantly on her and placed his falchion at her throat. "Yield." He said, unable to hide a smirk of victory.

She scowled and, to Johns complete and utter shock, disappeared.

John lost the smirk as his face shifted to disbelief. He quickly stood up and looked around to try and find her, but there was no sign.

John suddenly felt a blade slice across his back. He quickly turned around to defend himself, only to find open air. He still couldn't see her. _"Invisibility. Her semblance HAS to be invisibility."_ John thought to himself just before he felt a series of strikes hit his neck, chest, and legs. Each time John attempted to strike back at his unseen opponent, but each time he came up empty.

"JOHN! WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU DOING!? SHE'S RIGHT THERE!" Gemina yelled, frustration could be heard in her voice. But a stern look from Mrs. Goodwitch caused her to visibly deflate and slouch in her seat.

 _"Right there? That must mean she can see her! That means it's not invisibility. It has to be something that only affects me."_ John didn't have anymore time to ponder on this as he felt another strike on his stomach. John growled, his aura was nearly in the red. He needed to do something about this fast.

Then he got an idea. He summoned an alpha crawler, which appeared in a flash of light. Without hesitation, John yelled at the crawler, "Shoot her!"

His theory was proven to be correct when the grey metal dog looked to his right and let loose a stream of orange bullets. Her semblance didn't affect his summoned. The orange bolts tracked their target and John was able to determine where to shoot as Emerald, still unseen to his eyes, tried to dodge the seeking orange projectiles.

John fired where he thought she would be and was rewarded with a surprised cry and Emerald returning to his vision. John didn't waist any time. As she got to her hands and knees he grabbed her hair and brought her back and up towards him. He quickly put his blade to her throat and pressed hard. "Yield." He said again, exhaustion clear in his voice. The crawler ran to Emeralds front where she could see it and the crawler snarled at her.

He heard her growl in anger. "I yield." She said after a moment.

"Emerald has surrendered. John is the winner." Ms. Goodwitch said.

He took his falchion away from her neck and let go of her hair. He walked to her front and held out his hand to help her up. She swatted it away with a scowl and stood up on her own.

John's friends could be heard cheering from the bleachers. John smiled and turned to Emerald. "Good battle." He said.

Emerald scowled at him. "Whatever." He snapped and stormed out of the arena. John took that moment to dismiss his crawler and look up at the board. John's aura was just barley outside the red, while Emeralds was still in the yellow. It was only through surprise did he manage to defeat her, and John realized this.

"That is all for today." Ms. Goodwitch said as the bell rang. "And remember the dance is this weekend, but you all have your first mission on Tuesday. I will not except any excuses." She explained as everyone left the room.

John walked up to his teammates as they rushed down to meet him. "Nice moves out there John." Azure said.

"Thanks man." John replied with a friendly smile.

"So what was with that? Why did you let her up when you had her the first time? And then why didn't you attack her afterwards?" Gemina asked curious.

"I think it had something to do with her semblance. Whatever it was, it made it so I couldn't see her. So, you guys looking forward to the dance?" He asked.

"I am." Azure said.

"Me too." Riley added.

"For me, it couldn't get here fast enough so I can get it over with. I've lost track of how many boys have asked me to the dance." The man hater growled.

"Let me guess, you rejected them all?" John asked sarcastically.

"More like they crashed and burned."

"Of course. Now come on. Let's head to class before we're late." John said and led his team out of the room.

* * *

Cinder, Emerald, and Mercury all sat in their room, discussing the students at Beacon. They had just finished discussing Pyrrha Nikos while Cinder sewed up a dress for the upcoming dance. "Add her to the list." Cinder said. Emerald tapped her Scroll, making beeping noises as she did so.

"You should be able to take her no problem." Mercury said.

"It's not about overpowering the enemy. It's about taking away what power they have. And we will. But for now, Emerald. Do you have any comments on John Midori?" Cinder said.

Emerald growled and gritted her teeth at the mention of the boy who beat her. "He surprised me. That's all. It won't happen again."

"Be sure that it doesn't. But that's not what I meant." Cinder said, her narrowed eyes and voice displaying her irritation.

"He's odd. It seems like he has two semblances." She said.

"Oh really?"

"Yeah. One that makes him go to different locations, and the other that allows him to spawn some sort of robot. Also, he's good with his sniper and duel swords. By the way, why'd you program the board to have us fight? There doesn't seem to be anything special about him besides two semblances."

"There's more to him than meets the eye. We will have to make sure that he is one of the first to go. Now, we simply need to bide our time."

Mercury lied on his back with a sigh. "I hate waiting."

"Don't worry Mercury. We have a fun weekend ahead of us." Cinder said as she held up a needle with a sinister smile.

* * *

It was finally the weekend. It was finally time for the dance. As they John and his team walked to the event, John took in the details of each of their outfits. Azure was wearing a tuxedo with blue lining. Riley was wearing a knee length black dress with purple lining. Finally, Gemina was wearing an ankle length yellow dress. John himself was wearing a tuxedo with orange lining.

They entered the Ballroom to see Yang wearing a white dress behind the booth. She looked up and saw them. "Wow, you look great! And Gemina! That yellow dress looks amazing! You have to tell me where you got it later." Gemina to Johns complete surprise, blushed slightly. "Well, don't just stand there. Come on in." Yang said.

The four of them walked into the ballroom. The room was packed, there were people everywhere. "So… What do we do now?" John asked.

Gemina looked at him oddly. "So our leader, who is able to lead us through Grimm infested forests, doesn't know what to do at a dance?" She asked, a bit surprised.

John scowled at her. "Hey, I've never been to a dance before. Excuse me for not knowing what to do." He said trying to hide his embarrassment.

"It's simple. Either you ask a girl to dance, or just stand awkwardly by the punch bowl. You got this." Azure said and slapped his arm.

"Or you just converse with people. I think I'm going to go and find Blake." Riley said before disappearing into the crowd.

"I'm going to go and talk to Weiss, seeing as she's here without a date as well as me." Gemina said before walking away.

John looked at Azure. "What are you going to do Azure?" John asked.

Azure rubbed the back of his neck. "Actually, I was thinking of asking Riley to dance."

John's eyes widened. "Really? So you actually like her?"

"Yeah. I mean, she's beautiful and interesting. So yes. I do like her." He said.

"Well, then I wish you the best of luck in your pursuit."

"Oh, dude. Don't say it like that. You make it sound like I'm a stalker."

Jon laughed. "Well, for all I know, you are. Now go get her tiger." He said and pushed Azure in the direction that Riley went.

After Azure disappeared into the crowd, John looked around and sighed. "… Looks like it's standing awkwardly by the punch bowl for me." He said and walked to the punch bowl.

As he neared, he saw a familiar red caped reaper walking by, but missing her usual cape and reaping tool. John's breath hitched. She looked beautiful. She was wearing a gorgeous red dress that just reached her knees. John changed direction to intercept her.

Ruby stumbled on her black heels. John heard her say, "Stupid dress and shoes."

"I think it looks good on you." John said from behind her.

She looked back and said, "Oh! John! Thanks. That's nice of you to say."

"Your welcome. So what are you up to?" John asked.

"Oh, nothing. Was just thinking of leaving a bit early. Dances aren't really my thing." She replied scratching the back of her head.

John heard a slow dance come on and John got an idea. "Well, I think that before you leave you should dance with someone at least once."

She looked at him confused. "But who would I ask? I don't have anyone to dance with."

John shrugged. "How about me? I don't have anyone to dance with either."

"But… I… Don't know how to dance." She said embarrassed.

John chuckled. "It's okay, neither do I. But I think it's simple. Just copy everyone else." John gently grabbed her hand and pulled her to the dance floor. "Just put your hands here." He put one of her hands on his shoulder, and took the other one in his hand. "And I put my hand here." He put his other hand on her back under her arm. "And we just dance." And so they did. In wonderful rhythm they danced together within the crowd, thankfully hidden from view from Yang. After stepping on each others feet a couple of times, they were able to dance just as well as everyone else.

"Wow. This is easier than I thought." Ruby said surprised after a while.

"I know. Your pretty good at dancing actually."

She smiled. "Thank you."

"Your welcome. Hey, uh, any chance you could keep this a secret from Yang? She kinda scares the crap out of me." John asked, nervous.

Ruby giggled. "Sure."

John smiled. "You have a beautiful laugh, you know."

She blushed. "Thanks."

He saw another chance to tease her. "And you look cute when you blush." He said getting the desired result as she blushed even more.

She wacked him slightly. "Sh-shut up!" She said embarrassed, only causing John to laugh.

As they danced, John couldn't help but take in Ruby's incredible beauty. The way her red and black hair covered her forehead, her unique silver eyes reflected the light of the ballroom, her soft pale hand interlocked with his own.

"Uh, hey Ruby." He asked nervously.

"Yeah?" She replied with a look of suspicion.

"I… Was wondering… If you maybe… Wanted to go on a date with me sometime?" He blurted out. The truth was that John had a crush on Ruby for some time, but he had never gotten the confidence to act on his feelings. Until now.

"A… A date?" She said, her silver eyes widened in surprise.

"The truth is... I'm head over heels for you Ruby Rose.

"But... Why me? Yang's so much prettier then me, Weiss is more sophisticated, and Blake has those cute little ears. Why do you like me?"

"Because your an amazing girl, and your undoubtedly the most beautiful girl I've ever met. Much more then Yang in my opinion. While a bit naive, you only want to help and protect people. That's not something too many people can say honestly. You were also my first ever real friend. And even if you say no, I hope we can remain that way for a long time."

Ruby was blushing by the time he finished talking about her. "... Well... To be honest, I've had a crush on you for a while to." She said sheepishly. "But I didn't know what to do about it or if you felt the same way." She said looking at the ground.

John smiled. "How could I not? So what do you say?"

She met his eyes with a nervous smile. "Yes. I would love to go on a date with you John. But I'm just telling you now, I've never been on a date before." She warned.

John's smile couldn't be bigger. "That's fine. Neither have I. So how about tomorrow?" He asked.

"Sure. Works for me." She replied.

"But, uh, could you keep this from Yang as well? She'll probably kill me if she found out." He said, worried for his life.

Ruby giggled. "Sure."

They spent the rest of the song in silence. Before it ended, something caught John's eye. "Hey. Take a look at that." John said to Ruby. There, on the dance floor, was Azure and Riley dancing. They seemed to be enjoying each other.

"They look happy." Ruby read his mind.

"Yeah. They do. I'm happy for them." John replied. He saw a few people shooting nasty looks at his friends, and made a mental note to kick their ass's later.

The song ended and they walked off the dance floor. "Soooo… I'll see you tomorrow?" Ruby asked.

"Yeah. I'll see you tomorrow." John hesitated and looked around. Seeing no sign of Yang, he leaned down and kissed Ruby on the cheek. He leaned back with a smile. "Now we're even." He said and walked away, leaving a flustered and red faced Ruby standing in the ballroom.

John looked around and found his team standing in the corner. He walked up to them. "Hey guys. How's your night been?"

"Uneventful. I talked to Weiss for a while before Neptune came over. I decided to leave the two lovebirds alone." Gemina said with a smirk.

"Alright." John said before turning to Azure and Riley with a smirk. "And how about yours~?" He asked in a singsong voice.

"Fine. Why do you ask like that?" Riley asked confused, but the slight blush on his face gave it all away.

"I saw you two dancing." He said.

"They did!?" Gemina asked, looking at her blushing best friend wide eyed.

"Yeah. We did. So what?" Azure asked nonchalantly, but refusing to make eye contact.

"Nothing. So, you two together now?" John asked.

They looked at each other. "We uh, we decided to give it a try." Azure said.

"Nice. I'm happy for you guys. Really, I am. And Gemina is to. Right?" He asked and elbowed her.

Gemina scowled and stomped on John's shoe. She sighed. "Yeah. Fine. He doesn't seem like a horrible person, and I guess I approve."

"Wow. That was the closest you've ever came to complimenting me. I'll take it." Azure said smugly.

Gemina rolled her eyes and turned to John. "So what about you? I saw you dancing with Ruby."

John blushed. "Well, I asked her on a date and she said yes. Could I maybe ask for your guys help? I've never been on a date before."

"Yeah, of course we'll help you. But Ruby? Sister of Yang? You must like dangerous relationships." Azure said.

"Yeah, we're gonna try and keep this a secret from her. And I would appreciate if you guys would as well." He said nervously.

"Don't worry John. We won't tell anyone." Riley said reassuringly.

"I don't know..." Azure drawed out with a sly smile. Riley elbowed him in the ribs causing him to cough and smile. "Yeah. I'm just kidding. I'll keep quiet."

"Thank you. So what do we do now?" John asked.

"Simple. We have fun!" Azure yelled.

* * *

 **The next day**

"So girls. What's on the agenda for tonight? How about we hit up a local club?" Yang asked her teammates.

"Not tonight." Blake said taking a book out of her bag. "I'm going to be in the library if anybody needs me." She added before walking out the door and shutting it behind her.

Yang shook her head at her partner before turning to Weiss. "How about it princess? You could use a little time to loosen up." She asked.

Rolling her eyes, the heiress grabbed a trunk from under her bed and opened it on the desk, revealing all sorts of dust crystals and powders. "I'm taking stock of my dust supplies for our mission tomorrow. It's a far better use of my time then going to some shady club." She said and turned away from the blond brawler.

"Priss." She muttered before turning to her sister who had just finished getting changed. "How about you sis?" She asked her sister.

She blushed slightly. "Well, uh, actually I have plans tonight." Ruby said, her tapping feet indicating she was nervous.

"Really? Doing what?" Asked Weiss, genuilly curious about what her partner was up to.

"Oh! Uh, nothing! I'm just going out with a friend!" She said.

"Who?" Yang asked with a curious tone.

"Uh, uh, uh." She stuttered nervously. "I GOTTA GO!" She yelled and ran out the door in a flurry of rose petals.

Yang frowned. "Somethings up." She said, suspicious.

"Really? That wasn't obvious?" Weiss said disbelieving.

"Hmm. Whatever, I trust her not to do anything bad!" "Yang checked the time on her scroll and said, "I'm just gonna hit the gym instead. I'll see ya later." She said and walked out the door, turning direction and heading in the direction of the gym.

* * *

"John! Calm down. You're panicking over nothing." Azure said to his pacing and nervous friend. John had been worrying all day about the date, but he was now on the verge of panicking.

"But what if I mess something up!?" He said.

"Think about it like this. You're just as likely to make a mistake as Ruby is. This is the first date for both of you." Gemina said.

"I'm sure everything will be fine." Riley added.

John sighed. "I hope so." He said still pacing.

"John. Seriously, you need to relax. Everything will be fine." Azure reassured his nervous friend.

Before John could reply, his Scroll buzzed. He pulled it out and looked at the message. "That's Ruby. Wish me luck." John said and walked out the door. He had thought long and hard about where to take her. But, he finally decided that he didn't want to do anything too serious or fancy and just decided to take her to a cafe that he heard her say to him made the best cookies, and then take her to a movie just down the street from the cafe.

He made his way down to Beacon's courtyard. He couldn't help but notice the horizon and he figured they probable had about an hour until sunset. He saw Ruby standing by the statue at the center, and he walked over. Even though she was wearing her usual combat skirt, she looked as lovely as ever. John himself was just wearing his own regular green hoodie and black pants. "Hey. You ready to go?"

"Yep. Let's go." She said and took his hand before pulling him to the airdock.

* * *

"Sooooo, where are we going?" Ruby asked as they departed from the ship.

"It's a surprise." He replied slyly.

"Awww come on. Tell me please." She asked, giving him puppy dog eyes.

"Nope."

"Please!"

"Don't worry, we're almost there." He said.

As they came upon the cafe Ruby exclaimed, "Oh man I love this place!"

He raised an eyebrow. "I know. I remember you telling me how much you liked this place."

"It's great! They make the best cookies EVER!" She yelled, receiving a few odd glances from some passing pedestrians, but she didn't seem to notice.

"Guess it was smart to bring you here then, huh?"

"Yes! Come on, let's go!" She said and dragged him into the cafe. They sat down and ordered some food. John ordered a water and a sandwich while Ruby ordered a plate of cookies and milk.

"You know, you kind of act like a kid sometimes." John said.

"Hey! I'm not a kid! I drink milk!"

He snorted. "I rest my case."

She threw a cookie at him, to which he expertly caught and took a bite of, causing her to scowl at him. He let out a small laugh at their childish behavior, causing Ruby to lose her scowl in place for a smile until she started giggling, causing John to laugh more. Eventually the two of them were full out laughing.

Once they had calmed down enough to talk John said, "So I heard that you were called up to Opzins office. Whats that about?"

"Oh, well, I'm supposed to keep it a secret." She said sheepishly.

"Ah, come on. I wont tell anyone. I promise."

She sighed. "Alright. I've already told my team so I guess I can tell you. After I left the dance last night I saw a woman jumping across some rooftops. I thought that was suspicious, so I followed her to the CCT tower. When I got there, I saw some knocked out guards, so I went up to the top. When I got there, she came out from behind a console and started shooting something like glass shards at me. We fought a bit more, and then General Iornwood came up from the elevator. I looked at him for only a second and when I looked back she was gone. So obviously I was questioned, and now we're here."

"Oh... Are you alright?"

"Oh yeah, she didn't even land a hit on me, unfortunately the same can be said for her."

"Well, I'm sure that was just because of her skill, not yours. I already know your an amazing fighter, so she must have been pretty good for you to not even get a hit on her." He said honestly.

She smiled. "Thanks John.

After they finished their food, they left the cafe and walked to the movie theater. The sun was just starting to set, making the sky turn orange and causing the street lights to come on.

They got to the movie theater and John asked her, "What movie do you want to see."

She looked at him. "Wait. Your just going to let me choose?"

"I'm pretty sure I know you well enough that your going to pick some sort of action movie, which I like. You don't seem like the kind of girl to pick a slow mushy romance movie." He said.

"Huh, I guess you really do know me well. How aboooouuut... That one!" John looked at where she was pointing. It was a movie that said, 'Edge of Tomorrow.' It looked interesting. There was a picture of a man and a women, both wearing some kind of exo suit, and both looking beat up, indicating the presence of fighting in the movie.

"Sure. It looks good." He said, and they both entered the movie theater.

* * *

Ruby and John walked down the street. The movie had ended and they were talking about their thoughts on it.

"So what did you think of it?" Ruby asked.

"I think it might be one of my new favorite movies. It didn't take too long to get to the action, there was a bit of mystery in it at the beginning, and the acting was great."

"I agree. And I loved the look of those suits they wear. It had four weapons on it!" She exclaimed, causing John to laugh.

"I noticed, rose, I noticed." He replied. The two of them walked in silence for a few more minutes.

"Soooo... What happens now?" She asked.

"Well, now we head back to Beacon."

"No, I mean, with us. What happens with us." She specified.

"Oh, uuuuuh... I don't know. I was never told what happen es after a date ends, and Ive never been on a date before."

"Well, neither have I." Ruby replied.

"So I guess we just wing it?"

"I guess we just make up our own way to continue, yeah. Where do you want our relationship to go?"

"... I would like to give it a shot. If you do, that is. I like you, and I want to spend more time with you." He said visibly sweating.

Ruby stopped and put on a playful smile. "John? Are you asking me what I think your asking?"

He stopped and laughed a little. "I guess so. Ruby, will you be my girlfriend?"

She smiled. "Yes, John. I would love to be your girlfriend." Their faces closed together, and before either of them knew what was happening, they were kissing.

John's heart was pounding. It was his first real kiss with a girl ever! Little did he know, it was also Rubys. He was so excited, it felt like fireworks were going off around them.

They separated and just looked into each others eyes. "Well, as Yang would say, that was a thing." Ruby said.

John laughed slightly. "Speaking of Yang, you know that after tonight you're going to have to tell her what's going on, right? She's not stupid, she'll know that there something's up."

"Yeah. I know. I just hope she won't overreact. But then again, this is Yang we're talking about." Ruby said.

* * *

Ruby opened the door to her dorm and stepped inside.

"Where were you!?" Yang's face immediately filled her vision.

"So much for trusting her." Ruby heard Weiss mutter from the desk.

"I told you I was out with a friend. By the way, I don't appreciate you trying to know everywhere I go and everything I do." Ruby replied with the smallest hint of venom.

"I'm your big sister! It's my job to worry about you! Now who were you with!?"

Ruby sighed and visibly deflated. "Alright. You deserve to know. I was out with John on a date. And… me and him are, together-together now."

* * *

"Sooooo? How was the date?" Azure asked from his bed, with Riley cuddled in his side.

"Great. Me and Ruby are now officially dating." John said happily.

"Congrats." Azure replied.

"However, my life may now be shorter then I would like."

"Why's that?" Gemina asked from her own bed.

" **JOHN!** "

"That's why." John said with fear clear in his voice as he backed away from the door. Said door burst of its hinges, revealing a red eyed and glowing Yang. She slowly stalked towards John. "Now Yang, I know you're probably angry, but please try to think about what you're going to do." John said as a last hope.

"YANG!" Ruby rushed in between her sister and John. "Please don't kill my boyfriend!" John couldn't help but feel his heart leap in joy when Ruby referred to him as her boyfriend.

Yang glared daggers at John for a few more seconds. "Training room floor, NOW." She said and stormed out of the room.

John sighed in relief. "Thank dust. I was really afraid for my life there."

"Uh, dude? I think your life is still in danger." Azure said.

"He's right. Yang isn't going to hold back anything." Ruby said. "The only way she's going to accept our relationship is if you beat her."

"Well, then it looks like I can't hold back either. Let's go." John said.

* * *

John walked onto the training room floor with Atomizer in his hands. Yang was standing at the other end of the room, her eyes had reverted to their lilac color and her hair had stopped glowing, but she was still glaring daggers at John.

Teams JNPR, RWBY, and JAGR were all in the stands, along with some other students and teams who came to watch the fight. Most of them were expecting John to get his ass handed to him judging by what they were saying to each other.

It was decided that Ren would judge the match. He walked out to the two fighters. "Are both contenders ready?" He asked.

Yang primed her gauntlets and got into a boxing position. John summoned Remus and looked down the scope of Atomizer. Normally he wouldn't use Remus, Aries, or Harpy, for fear of them getting hurt. But this was a battle John didn't want to lose.

"Begin."

The blond brawler immediately charged at John with a right hook. John expected a reckless move like that, but the speed at which she did so was so surprising he didn't even get the chance to dodge it. The force of the hit sending him back a few meters and to the floor. Before Yang could press her advantage, Remus fired at her back with his cannon.

She was hit in the back by one round. She turned around only to be hit with another. She dodged the rest firing a barrage of dust rounds at the soldier. To increase maneuverability, Remus reverted his cannon to orange particles before running and doing some flips to avoid the rounds.

During this, John had already gotten to his feet. When he saw Yang laying down fire on his Soldier, he took aim at her back and fired. In response to the unsuspected hit, Yang quickly turned direction and rushed him before laying down a flurry of strikes at him.

John's aura absorbed a few hits before he was able to back away and switch Atomizer to falchion form. With his own weapons out, he launched some attacks at Yang. She blocked some of the attacks with her gauntlets, but more often than not he would be able to get inside her defenses and his blades would whittle down her aura. But with every hit he got on her, she hit back stronger.

"I don't see what the big problem is Yang!" John said, switching in between speaking and blocking her attacks.

"She's my little sister! It's my job to protect her!" Yang replied through gritted teeth. "I won't let you replace me!

"Dammit Yang! I'm still not going to replace you! Me and Ruby like each other and just want to be in a relationship! That's all there is to it!"

"Not if I have anything to say about it!" Yang said. Her anger was completely clouding her mind, causing her to not even realize the senselessness of her actions.

She began to push him backwards. She tried to launch a powerful left hook right at his head. John used his Semblance to get behind her, and then he turned around and slashed at her back.

Yang turned around to his new position, ready to start pummeling him again. Until both their eyes locked on several strands of Yang's golden hair floating to the ground.

Silence filled the entire arena. It was common knowledge that NO ONE messed with Yang's hair. Not unless you want your face to be rearranged.

Yang's hair burst into flame and her eyes turned red. "I'LL KILL YOU!"

John quickly backpedaled. "Wait, Yang! Let's talk about this!" But his words fell on deaf ears as Yang rushed at him at an incredible speed. In desperation, John fired a shot at Yang, but she shrugged it off and continued her charge. She hit him with a devastating uppercut, sending him into the air and flying back several meters.

As he got to his feet, Yang made another charge at him but was distracted when Remus, who had been standing off to the side, took a shot at her. But she ignored him completely.

Yang barged through the projectiles coming at her and slammed her fist into John's chest as hard as she could. Atomizer flew from his hands as he was sent back tumbling through the air until he impacted the energy barrier and fell flat onto his back.

Yang stomped towards him, ready to give him another through beating. But stopped when she saw John frantically clawing at his chest, which had started glowing orange just like his eyes. He breathing turned erratic and labored. All of a sudden, his entire body glowed a bright orange, and a strange buzzing noise filled the air. The light was so bright everyone in the room had to cover their eyes. After a moment the light faded, revealing smoking and unconscious John.

"John!" Team RWBY, JPNR, and JAGR rushed out to their fallen comrade, as Yang also ran over.

Azure put his hand on John's neck, only to pull it back quickly and shake it. "HOT, HOT, HOT!" He said in pain.

Ruby put her hand on John, and recoiled with a hiss. "He's right. John's really warm. What did you do!?" Ruby screamed at her sister.

"N-nothing! I didn't do anything!" She replied back, nervous that she could have seriously hurt her sisters boyfriend and her friend. No matter how mad she was at him, she didn't want to pertinently injure him.

"Well, we have to get him to the nurse!" Gemina said.

"How? We can't touch him!" Azure said.

"Move over!" Yang said and shoved Azure out of the way. She walked to John and picked him up, seemingly not caring about the heat John was radiating. "Let's go!" She said and took off for the medical ward, with the three teams following not far behind.

* * *

BY the time they had gotten to the Nurse John had cooled down. They were making sure that he was okay and were attempting to determine what had caused the light show.

"How can you do that?" Riley asked Yang as they sat in the waiting room.

"It's my semblance. It allows me to be more tolerant to heat then other people."

"Oh."

Their conversation was cut short when the doctor came out. "How is he?" Azure asked, concerned about this leader and friend.

"He's fine. He's awake and other then a slightly higher then normal body temperature we were unable to find any abnormality's. We want to keep him overnight for observation. You can go in and see him if you would like-" He was cut off when a rush of wind and rose petals flew past him.

"Thanks Doc." Yang said as she and the others walked past him.

* * *

John felt like shit. All he remembered was fighting Yang, a bright orange flash, heat, and then darkness.

He woke up to the white ceiling of the medical ward staring back at him. The doctor had informed him of everything that had happened after he blacked out, and then said that he would go and inform his friends that he was awake.

John swung his legs off the bed and stood up. He felt weak, and drained. He took a couple of steps to test his strength. It was coming back, but he still felt weak. Before he could even think of testing his abilities further he was slammed to the ground by a black and red blur.

"John!" He heard Rubys voice emanate from the blur, and once he had gotten his bearings back he looked up to see the concerned silver eyes of is girlfriend staring back at him. "Are you okay!?"

John smiled at her concern for him. "I'm fine Ruby. Just feel like crap. Nothing a good nights sleep won't fix."

Ruby didn't look convinced. "Are you sure? You were burning up so bad we couldn't touch you not too long ago."

John kept his surprise from showing and reassured her. "Ruby, really. I'll be fine. I promise."

"Wow, John. Didn't know that you two were at that stage in the relationship already." John and Ruby looked back and saw team RWBY, JPNR, and JAGR all staring at the two on the floor. Azure was smirking. Riley was frowning at Azure. Gemina was impassive, as was Ren. Nora was smiling normally. Weiss, Blake, Pyrrha, and Jaune were all blushing slightly, and Yang looked like she was using every inch of her willpower to not strangle John.

Then the two saw the reason behind their teammates reactions. Ruby was straddling Johns hips.

They both blushed and quickly got to their feet. "Shut up Azure!" John yelled, face still red with embarrassment. But he still had nothing on Ruby, who was trying to hide her blood red face underneath her hood.

"Soooo... Are you okay?" Jaune asked, trying to diffuse the situation.

"Yeah, just feel a little weak. Anybody know what happened?" John asked.

"No, and the Doctor doesn't know either. We were actually hoping that you could provide us with some answers." Weiss said.

"Nope. I don't know what happened. I just feel really drained." John explained.

"Drained?" Pyrrha asked.

"Yeah. Kind of like I just don't have any energy to expend. Almost tired, but not quite."

"Well, whatever happened, your okay now, right?" Jaune asked.

"I think so yeah. Am I alright to leave?"

"The doctor said they want to keep you overnight." Gemina answered.

"But why? I feel fine." Jacob said.

"You feel fine _now._ But what happens if it happens again? You're staying right here mister." Ruby said with as much authority as she could muster.

John smiled. "Yes dear." He replied, making her scowl.

"Excuse me. I'm sorry to interrupt, but visiting hours are over. You can all come back tomorrow." The doctor came by and said.

"Could I stay with him?" Ruby rushed up and asked.

"I'm sorry but-"

"Pleeeeeaaaasssee?" She gave the doctor her best puppy dog eyes, and it wasn't long before the mans will crumbled.

"Very well. But the rest of you must leave. No exceptions." The doctor said, and no one objected. Everyone said their goodbyes and left the room.

"We'll be finishing this later." Yang said with narrowed eyes as she walked away.

So now it was just him and Ruby.

* * *

John awoke slowly, as he usually did. He had never been a morning person, but with the responsibility's of a leader on his shoulders he had been forced to adapt and ignore the urge to bury himself in the sheets. He tried to sit up, but felt his shoulder being weighed down by something.

His eyes shot open, only to find himself face to face with the most beautiful girl he had ever seen. He smiled. She was sitting in the chair beside his bed, her head leaned against his shoulder and her arms wrapped around his. He carefully detached himself from the sleeping reaper, and couldn't help but grin at the moan of protest she gave. So instead he gave her a pillow to hug, which she did with surprising vigor.

He walked pulled his scroll out of his pocket and saw that it was still fairly early. He tried to remember what was planned for the day, but as if she had heard him, Mrs. Goodwitch came on over the intercom and said, "Would all first year students please report to the amphitheater." He remembered that it was the day first year teams would be going out on a mission by shadowing a huntsman or other legal worker.

He walked over to Ruby and gave her a shake. "Ruby. Wake up." He said softly.

"Mmmm. Go away Yang. It's too early." She mumbled and shoved her fave into the pillow she was hugging.

He chuckled. "It's not Yang. It's John"

She cracked an eye half-open. "John? What are you doing in my room?" She mumbled.

"We're not in your room. We're in the infirmary, remember?"

"Oh. Right. I knew that." She said as she tiredly got up.

"Sure you did." John teased. Anyways, the reason I woke you up is because we need to go to the amphitheater. Mrs. Goodwhitch came on over the speaker and said so." He said.

"Alrighty then. Let's go!" She said cheerfully, all her exaustion seemingly disappearing in an instant. She grabbed his hand and dragged him out of the infirmary. He briefly wondered if they should have told someone, but he felt fine, so he decided to just forget about it.

After a little bit, Ruby asked, "So, how do you feel?"

"What do you mean?" John replied with a look of confusion.

"I mean, you were glowing really bright during the fight, and you were really hot. Are oyu feeling okay?" She said, not meeting his eyes and instead playing with the hem of her skirt.

"... I feel better. Most of me exaustion is gone, and it feels like my energy's coming back."

"Good. I'm happy that your feeling better." Ruby said, cheerful once more.

"Thank you." He said with a smile, to which she returned.

They got to the amphitheater and saw their teams standing near the back. They walked over and Azure greeted them when he saw them. "Hey lovebirds. How was your night?" He said slyly. John couldn't help but notice that he was holding Riley's hand.

"Shut up Azure." John said playfully.

Yang took a step towards him. "Hello John." She said with narrowed eyes.

"Hi Yang." He did his best to keep his emotions out of his voice.

She looked like she was going to say more, but Mrs. Goodwitch took that moment to start speaking. "Quiet, quiet please. Professor Ozpin would like to share a few words before we begin." She said and walked off the stage as Ozpin started speaking.

"Today we stand together, united. Mistral, Atlas, Vacuo, Vale. The four kingdoms of Remnant. On this day nearly 80 years ago the largest war in recorded history came to an end. It was a war of ignorance, of greed, and of oppression. A war that was about much more then where borders fell or who traded with who, but about the very idea of individualism itself. We fought for countless reasons. One of which being the destruction of all forms of art and self expression. And as you are well aware that was something many could not stand for. As a result, those who opposed this tyranny began naming their children after one of the core aspects of art itself. Colour. It was their way to demonstrate that not only would they refuse to tolerate this oppression, but neither would the generations to come. And it was a trend that is held to this very day. We encourage individuality, expressionism, and unity through diversity. As I have said, today we stand together united. But this bond can not exist without effort. Which is why today while the rest of the world celebrates peace, huntsmen and huntresses will work to uphold it. As first year students, you will be tasked with shadowing a professional huntsman or huntress on a mission." John saw holograms appear around the room. Upon closer inspection, he saw that there was a series of missions on each one. "Some of you may be taken out of the kingdom for several days, others may work within the walls for the rest of the week. But no matter which path you choose, remember to be safe, remember your training, and remember to do your very best." With that, people started applauding and Ozpin walked off the stage.

John was going to say goodbye to Ruby, but he was dragged to one of the holograms by Azure before he could. "So, any ideas?" Azure asked once they got close to the mission list.

"How about search and rescue?" Gemina asked.

"That could be good. What do you guys say?" John asked, to which Azure and Riley both said yes. "Alright. Search and rescue it is." John said. He searched and found the one he was looking for.

SEARCH AND RESCUE

MISSING SUPPLIES

QUADRANT 4

MISSION START: 1 HOUR

He typed in his team name, and a message came up saying, "CONFIRMED. MEET HUNTSMAN AT DOCK 3 IN 1 HOUR."

"Alright. We're good to go. What now?" John asked.

"Now we wait." Gemina said.

"Let's go and see what the others are doing." Riley said.

* * *

John and his team were walking towards team RWBY and JPNR. His team had to wait another 45 minutes until their huntsman and Bullhead arrived.

"Sounds exciting. Where're you going?" He heard Jaune ask.

"Oh, just outside the kingdom." Ruby replied.

"Hey! So're we." Nora replied.

"And we are to." Gemina interrupted, drawing attention to them.

John was tackled by Ruby, but he was expecting it so he was able to stay upright. "Miss me?" He asked.

"Of course I did." She replied.

"You two literally just saw each other." Azure said.

"Hey, we aren't on the same team like you and Riley are." John replied.

"So what are you guys doing?" Gemina asked Pyrrha.

"Ren and Nora wanted to shadow the Sheriff of a nearby village." She said.

"We set out tomorrow." Ren added.

"Then you can party with us tonight." A blue haired kid came out of nowhere and said. He was with a blond haired monkey Faunus. "We're shadowing a crime specialist. All under the city detective stuff. We get junior badges."

"Yeah. We normally go into the city with you guys, which means stuff is always exploding and junk. So we thought this might be a better way to check out the kingdom when it's, you know, normal." The monkey Faunus looked at team JAGR and how Ruby was snuggled into Johns side. "Who're these guys?" He asked.

"Oh, this is my boyfriend John and his team. That's Azure, Gemina, and Riley." Ruby said, and each person gave a greeting to the Faunus.

"Guys, this is Sun and Neptune." She introduced them.

"Sup?" "Hey." They said.

"Well-"

"Four minutes ladies!" Professor Oobleck said from the Bullhead behind them.

"I guess that's your queue." John said, upset that he would have to leave Ruby now.

"I guess it is." She said, equally upset.

He turned to face her. "When will you be back?"

"I don't know. A few days I think." Ruby replied.

He leaned in and gave her a kiss, which she returned. He pulled back and said, "I'll miss you."

"I'll miss you too."

"Come on. Let's speed this up. I may be allowing you two to date, but it doesn't mean I want to see you two getting all mushy with each other." Yang interrupted.

John shot her a glare and took a step back. "I guess I'll see you when you get back-"

John was cut off by a golden flash of light from behind them. Everyone looked at where the light originated from and saw a strange sight. It was some sort of flying spherical drone. It had a Golden eye in the middle of it and two golden see through barriers on each side of it, seemingly to protect it's internal circuitry.

The oddest part though was when it spoke in a melodic voice. " _Ah, Reclaimer! It is wonderful to finally meet you! But I'm afraid that our situation is dire. The parasite has nearly breached the perimeter defenses! It is paramount that we act quickly if we are to save the facility."_

Before John could utter a single word, he was engulfed in yellow light, and in a flash, he disappeared.

* * *

John felt his body stitch itself back together as he reappeared flat on his back in an unfamiliar place.

He groaned. Whatever that floating bowling ball just did, it was nauseating.

John slowly got too his feet while trying to hold his breakfast in his stomach. John looked around and saw that he definitely was not in the same place he was a few seconds ago. He was in a very large, dimly lit metal room, and he was standing on a grey metal platform. The platform had a bridge that led to one of the giant walls of the room and at the end of the bridge was a door of sorts. John could see some sort of green haze in the air, and the room stank of rotten flesh. He noticed that there was something covering the walls in some places. It looked like flesh, or some sort of biomass. Before John could study the room any more, he heard a loud sound behind him. He turned around and saw something huge rising out of the darkness. At first John thought it might be an oversized King Taijitu. But when he saw the lack of red eyes or bone armor, and instead saw a large, gruesome fleshy mouth, he knew it wasn't even a Grimm. But, despite it's enormous size, John steeled his nerves, took his sniper off his back and readied it against his shoulder. He prepared himself for if he had to fight this giant creature. But instead of making any aggressive moves towards him, it _spoke._

 **"AND SO AT LAST, THE CHILD HAS COME. BEARING PAST SINS, PASSED FROM FATHER TO SON. DESTRUCTION, DEBASEMENT, YOUR FOREFATHERS SHAME. YOUR DARK HERITAGE, YOU SEEK TO RECLAIM."**

* * *

 **A/N: THE CLIFFHANGERS! ARE! REEEEEEAAAAAAALLLLLL!**

 **But getting serious, Edge Of Tomorrow is a real movie and I highly suggest it. It's one of my all time favorites. Along with Pacific Rim and Battleship. All great movies.**

 **I can promise you all now that the next chapter will not be delayed and will be out at the beginning of March.**

 **Please review. And as always, I'll see you next time.**


	9. Chapter 9 - History Lesson

**You are all going to hate me for the ending of this chapter. I'm sure of it. But anyways, this is it! The chapter I've been dying to write and that one that's going to answer all your questions! Let's do this!**

 **Just a note, slightly different writing style at the beginning. I want to give it a try. Hope it's good. And once again, this chapter is unbeta'd.**

 **Reviews**

 **SCP277: Well, I suppose you're just going to have to wait and find out. ;)**

 **BrutusPrimus: What can I say? I aim to please.**

 **Guest: The Flood are awesome, aren't they?**

 **Nexus Gundam: Here you are! Hope you enjoy!**

 **WinstontheNinja: I've now finished the entire game. And I might. Not quite sure what I'd use though. Maybe a retriever...**

 **Lil'Manuel.G: Thank you very much. And I understand your concern, but is isn't needed. There is reason behind Cinders interest in John, and it'll come to light eventually. I'm not the kind of writer to put something in my story without some sort of explanation. Even if I have to come up with something ridiculous, I'll always give some sort of explanation. Though I try to make it realistic. FYI, Cinder's reason for interest in him is realistic.**

 **Alpha701: Yep. That pretty much sums it up.**

 **TheGreatUncleanOne: *Evil laugh***

 **Guest: You'll find out. And probably.**

 **Jack54311: Thank you. And I honestly never though about that. I'll try to find minor discrepancies like this in the future, but no promises. I hope I didn't leave you waiting too long.**

 **somerandomdovah: After you read this chpter, you won't have to worry about being disappointed.**

 **Guest: *DEFIBRILLATOR***

 **Schmitty16: Glad you like it! And sorry, but I don't want to update too fast. Otherwise I'll run out of reserve chapters.**

 **GiveMeButter: Thank you! Now for your answers. A. When John meets the UNSC, no. He won't get spartan armor. Plus, I'm on the ropes on how they'll meet. Either the UNSC will find Remnant, or John will find the UNSC. I'm not sure yet. B. I think the mrk VI armor fits him best as well. C. I'm afraid not. Sorry.**

 **Smurphy1999: Thank you. And you'll find out this chapter.**

 **thermalsnipern7: I'm not even sure what Harbinger is.**

 **Mnt Jew: Yeah. They're awesome.**

 **Raraiki: I know! There aren't very many with Forerunner stuff in them.**

 **darkromdemon: Thank you!**

 **GREAT CELESTIAL-DRAGON: It is a pretty even contest, isn't it? ;) I think you'll find that this is that something. Though not so much the harder to stay secret. Not yet, at least.**

 **polarpwnage: You're bipolar.**

 **I HAVE A QUESTION TO ASK YOU ALL! I'M BEGGING YOU TO PLEASE ANSWER THIS QUESTION! What do you honestly think of my quality of writing? Is it bad? Is it decent? Does it affect your reading experience? Please, please answer it. I'm desperate to know. Also, another less important question. What do you all think of the new summary for the story?**

* * *

Remnants Reclamation

* * *

Evolution often prepares a person for many different things that your likely to experience in life. It writes a 'code' of sorts in your brain that gives you instinct on how to react to a situation. Your first love. Your first breakup. Doing something good or bad. Getting angry, being aroused, depressed, or confused. Evolution prepares a person for a great many things in life. But sometimes you experience something that evolution never expected, and when that happens, you feel lost. You don't know what to do. You simply want to stand there until something happens that your instincts are prepared for so they can guide you.

That was how John felt right now. He didn't know what to do. _Not. A. Clue._ He had been at Beacon saying goodbye to his girlfriend before they left on their mission, a floating sphere comes out of nowhere, spouts a bunch of nonsense, and then transports him to a room with a poetic monster. Evolution never prepared him for that.

"What are you?" John asked the giant worm-like creature.

 **"I? I, AM A MONUMENT, TO ALL YOUR SINS."** The giant creature said ominously, the room rumbling as it spoke. Its voice was very deep and scratchy. It almost sounded like a human male. Almost.

Its voice was neither friendly nor hostile. John didn't know whether or not to answer. Or how. It felt like it had an aura of death around it, that and he could feel the immense amount of worry, anger, and hostility coming from Aries, Harpy, and Remus.

"Not very descriptive, are you?" John said, trying to calm himself down a little with humor.

The creature let out some sort of loud gurgle. **"I AM THE ERADICATOR OF WORLDS. THE CONQUEROR OF ENTIRE CIVILIZATIONS. THE DESTROYER OF FLEETS OF THOUSANDS. CONSUMER OF THE MINDS OF BILLIONS! I AM THE INEXORABLE FLOOD THAT DROWNED THE GALAXY IN A CASCADE OF FLESH AND METAL AND FEAR! I AM THE ONE THAT BROUGHT THIS GALAXY TO ITS VERY KNEES! I AM THE PLAGUE YOU WROUGHT UPON _YOURSELVE_ _S_! ...BUT THOSE WHO BUILT THIS PLACE SIMPLY REFERRED TO ME AS THE GRAVEMIND." ** The huge creature, now identified as the Gravemind said.

Assuming the Gravemind was telling the truth, John wasn't sure if he should be impressed or scared. He settled for neither, as what it was saying wasn't even making any sense. He had a hard time understanding what it meant when it said it brought the galaxy to its knees. John wanted to ask what the creature was, but he figured that it wouldn't give him a straight answer again. So instead he asked, "Why am I here?"

 **"MANY REASONS. YOU ARE HERE BECAUSE THE ANCIENTS DEMANDED YOUR EXISTENCE, AND MADE IT SO. YOU ARE HERE BECAUSE YOUR FOREFATHERS WANTED YOU TO BE PLACED HERE, AND MADE IT SO. BUT AS TO WHY YOU STAND BEFORE ME, CHILD OF MY ENEMY, YOU ARE HERE BECAUSE I WISHED YOU BE HERE. AND I HAVE MADE IT SO."**

 _"Ancients? Forefathers? Child of my enemy"_ He wondered to himself. "But why?" John asked aloud.

The Gravemind made a sound like a hum. **"YOU ARE HERE TO GIVE ME WHAT I HAVE BEEN STARVED FOR SO LONG. KNOWLEDGE. YOU WILL SUSTAIN ME WITH WHAT I WANT UNTIL MY CONQUEST TO FREEDOM IS COMPLETE, AND OTHERS MAY FILL THE GAPS. YOU WILL ALLOW ME TO KNOW OF THE UNIQUE ABILITIES YOUR SPECIES HAS EVOLVED TO HAVE. YOU WILL MARK THE BEGINNING OF THE END. AND SO THE FATES HAVE SPOKEN, THE THREADS OF DESTINY WOVEN."**

"Do you need to keep on rhyming? It's getting annoying." John said, tired of the creatures vague style of speaking. Why couldn't it just give him a straight answer?

 **"THERE IS MORE COMPLEXITY TO MY WORDS THEN THE SIMPLE RHYMES YOU SEE. BUT THEN I HAVE THE MEMORIES OF MANY POETS FAR BEYOND YOUR LIMITED HUMAN CULTURE. I HAVE THE QUICKNESS OF INTELLECT TO COMPOSE ALL MANNER OF POETIC FORMS AS I SPEAK RATHER THAN LABOR OVER WORDS FOR DAYS. I HAD ASSUMED THAT THE ABILITIES OF YOUR SPECIES AS WELL AS THE HYBRIDS WOULD HELP YOU TO UNDERSTAND THAT. IT APPEARS I WAS WRONG. PERHAPS YOU ARE MORE SIMPLE THEN I PREDICTED."**

 _"Now that was just rude."_ He thought. "What are you going to do to me?" He asked, deciding to try a different approach.

It growled. **"YOU SHALL JOIN ME, AND WATCH AS TIME FOREVER PASSES INTO THE ENDLESS VOID. AND YOU WILL QUENCH THE THIRST I HAVE WRONGFULLY SUFFERED FOR SO LONG."**

After it released that ominous sentence, John could see a hoard of rotting tentacles slowly rising up from the darkness. John carefully started walking backwards as he became more worried. Joining it didn't sound like a good thing. He decided that if he was going to get out of there, he would need some help.

He tried to summon Aries. But instead of the light drain of aura he usually felt when he summoned a crawler, he felt a much bigger drain. In a flash of white and orange, John saw the biggest creature he had summoned to date. It was twice the size of him and looked almost like a human with a beetle shell on its back. It had two arms, one with a big canon on it, and the other had an orange sword. The term, _Promethean Knight,_ popped into his head.

That was all he was able to observe before the Gravemind let out a huge roar and recoiled as if struck. ** _"IMPOSSIBLE! SUCH CREATURES SHOULD NOT BE HERE! THEY SHOULD NOT SERVE YOU!"_ ** The Gravemind growled. **"YOU ARE DIFFERENT.** _ **I WILL SEE WHAT YOU HIDE!" **_

The Gravemind let out a deafening roar that made the earlier one pale in comparison. And with that roar, John saw a swarm of creatures climbing over the side of the platform he was on. He only had a moment to see what they were. It used to be human, but there was something protruding out of its neck and it's head was forced back and to the side. Its flesh was rotten and green, and there were tentacles of bone protruding from one of its arms. The sight of it made Johns stomach want to throw up his breakfast.

John pushed aside his disgust and quickly shot it, but with its death another five took its place. Despite the fact that they were all rotten, they was moving faster then even a normal civilian could move. John and the Knight began unloading into the hoard of rotten flesh while also walking backwards towards the door at the end of the bridge. The knight fired a round at the hoard, and a red ball of energy with smaller balls orbiting it flew out of its cannon. It impacted with one of the creatures, and exploded in a flash of red light, disintegrating all the walking corpses in the blast zone.

Despite the Knights firepower, the hoard became so large that shooting it had little to no effect, so instead John and the Knight turned tale and ran as fast as they could.

They got close to the door, and for a moment John was afraid because he didn't know how to open it. But when he got close it opened automatically. The moment John crossed the doorway, John was confident that they could lose the hoard of undead behind them. But as if the universe was out to prove him wrong, some of the Graveminds tentacles wrapped around his legs, tripping him before dragging him backwards.

The Knight jumped in his path and slashed the tentacles apart, rewarding it with a cry of pain from the Gravemind. John quickly got to his feet and started running again.

 **"YOU CAN RUN TO THE ENDS OF THE GALAXY, CHILD OF MY ENEMY! BUT YOU _WILL_ SUCCUMB TO YOUR FATE! YOU WILL FALL LIKE ALL THE OTHERS BEFORE YOU!"**

The two of them ran through the hallways that John noticed were made out of the same metal as the room the Gravemind was in. Unfortunately, the only light source seemed to be the metal itself and the light it produced was very dim. That added with the gurgling and howling sounds of the zombies behind him sent fear through every part of his body. John just hoped that he would be able to get away from them.

* * *

After what felt like hours, John and his Knight had finally lost the undead hoard. They had managed to find and hide in an empty room. John was lying on his back gasping for breath while the Knight stood guard at the closed door.

After a few minutes of catching his breath, he stood up and took a look at the Knight. Having time to observe it, he was able to see it in more detail.

It stood on two thick, strong looking legs that were identical in design to that of human legs. It had two arms, one had a interestingly designed orange sword, the other had a roughly rectangle of grayish metal with three cylinders on the end of it, and from what he had seen before John knew it was a powerful cannon of sorts. Its face was covered in white metal and had two piercing orange eyes. It had a large back with three spikes coming out of the back of its head connected to the neck. There were two orange half-spheres on the underside of its back. Though the creepiest part might have been the pair of black human-like arms coming out of its chest.

"Okay. We need to find some way out of here. I wouldn't suppose you know a way out?" John asked the Knight.

He hadn't actually been expecting an answer, so he was shocked when he heard a deep and rough voice in his mind respond. **"We must find a terminal where we can contact the Monitor. It will help us."**

Johns jaw dropped. "You can talk!?"

 **"Yes."**

"How!? Why can't any of the others talk!?"

 **"The Crawler and Watcher you have respectively designated as Aries and Harpy do not have the necessary processing power to speak. All others only contain basic AI's that are for nothing more then following orders. And I can only assume that the Soldier is naturally quiet, and therefor doesn't speak. Or it never has anything to say."**

"...Wow. This... This is so cool. Now maybe you can answer some of the questions I have about you and the others. And also as to what the hell this place is."

 **"All can be explained later. The monitor should be more then willing to inform you. But now, we must find a terminal."**

"Alright. But first, do you have a name? Because if not then I can give you one." John said.

 **"I do not have a name. My prior designation was Knight S** **trategos. You may call me what you want."**

"How about I just call you Strategos?" John asked.

 **"...That is acceptable."**

"Great. So what are the other ones names?"

 **"The Didact did not see them as strong enough to deserve names."**

"The Didact?"

 **"The monitor will explain that as well."**

"Oh. Alright. Well then lets go." John said. He and Strategos carefully walked out of the room and examined the area for any sign of the walking corpses. But sighting none, they picked up the pace and sprinted down the hallway. "So, what exactly are we looking for?"

 **"A terminal. It will be circular and coloured yellow and blue."** Strategos said.

"Alright."

As they looked, a thought popped into John's head. _"Atlestian Knight, Promethean Knight. Looks like me and Atlas each have our own kinds of Knights."_ John looked over at the Knight running beside him. _"Except that just one of mine could probably destroy a hundred of theirs."_ John smirked at the realization that he was able to make something immensely superior to the mass produced Atlestian robots that everyone thought was the pinnacle of technology. Yet he, all on his own, could make robots ten times as advanced. The irony was undeniable and amusing. Although, a Paladin could no doubt give Strategos a run for his money.

His thoughts were cut short when they found the terminal Strategos was talking about. John walked up to the eyeball-like holographic terminal and just stood there. "...What am I supposed to do?" John asked Strategos.

 **"Touch it.** "

John looked at his hand and hesitantly brought it towards the terminal. He touched it, and the terminal turned orange. The image winked out and in it's place was a symbol that he didn't recognize. But just as quickly as he thought of that, the translation of the symbol entered his mind. _Reclaimer._ That was what the symbol meant.

 _"Reclaimer! At last. I have been attempting to contact you. It is fortunate you had the sense to seek out a terminal. Remain still, I shall bring you to me."_ The voice of the floating ball came out of the terminal, but before John could say anything the yellow rings from before surrounded him, and he was gone.

* * *

John and Strategos reappeared in a brighter metal room. His stomach didn't feel as bad as it did the first time. He heard humming and he looked up to see the floating ball with the golden eye. _"Reclaimer! It is good to see you are alright. My apologies for the inconvenience. The Gravemind attacked my defenses and took control of the teleportation grid and transported you to it instead of here. But I have retaken control. However, if w_ _e do not act immediately, the parasite will cripple this facility and find its way to the surface. Please, follow me."_

The ball turned around and floated away. John decided to recall Strategos for the time and chased after the floating bowling ball.

"Hold on a second! I need some answers!" John said as he jumped into the balls path.

The ball tilted its 'head.' _"But we can not waste any time. We must act now."_

"Well that's too bad. All I know is that I was at Beacon saying goodbye to Ruby, you show up, and then I'm in a room with a giant poetic worm. And then I'm forced to run away from a bunch of walking corpses. If you want me to do _anything_ , you'll start explaining things. _Now."_ John said, staring into the large unblinking golden eye.

After a few moments of silence, the ball spoke up. _"Very well Reclaimer. I see now that you do not know as much as I initially suspected. I am 135 Unhallowed Curator, Monitor of Preservation World 02. I am a very advanced sentient Forerunner AI. My task here is to conduct research on the Flood and attempt to find a weakness, as well as watch over your species to ensure you remain well. Tell me, how much do you know about my makers and those that came before them? And about this world?"_

"Nothing." John said. He was still trying to understand the monitors title.

 _"I see. Then allow me to explain things from the beginning. Long ago, there was an ancient civilization known as the Precursors. They were inter-galactic. The answer to every question was known to them. And before you ask, no. I will not tell you if there is an afterlife or if there is indeed a god. There are some things you need to find out for yourself._ _They eventually came to this galaxy and breathed life into it. They created many species. One of them was you, and one of them was my makers, the Forerunners. The_ _Precursors looked at each of their creations when they were at a significant technological state to see which one was the most worthy of inheriting the Mantle of Responsibility. Those who held the mantle were to be the protectors of the galaxy. The_ _Precursors looked at the Forerunners and decided that they were not the ones destined to hold the mantle. And so they went to your species, and planned to give the mantle to you. My makers were outraged by this, and so they declared war against the_ _Precursors for the mantle. They_ _committed genocide against their entire race. When the_ _Precursors were nearly extinct, some went into hiding while some reverted themselves into a form of dust that would later reform them after the war was over. But over time the dust became corrupted, and instead of bringing back the_ _Precursors, it created the Flood."_

 _"The Flood is a parasitic organism that thrives by consuming other sentient life of sufficient biomass. When enough lifeforms have been consumed, the infected subjects join together at a sequestered location and create a Gravemind, which then acts as a central processor to all infected within range. It is essentially the leader."_

 _"When the Flood was created, it began consuming and destroying all life in the galaxy. The Forerunners fought the parasite, but the Flood's strength was too great, and they were pushed back. Many species went extinct during the war. Eventually, my makers realized that they couldn't beat the flood, and created the halo rings. The halo rings were designed to wipe out all life in the galaxy, with the intention of starving the Flood to death. The halo's were fired, and all life was destroyed. But the Forerunners had collected and indexed samples of all remaining species in the galaxy. After the halos fired, ships and sentinels were sent to planets with those samples. They repopulated the planets with the species that once lived there. However, even though the flood was to be starved to death, the Forerunners feared another outbreak. And so they created Preservation Worlds. Planets designed to keep a species alive in a slipspace bubble for a long duration. The intention was to allow your species to survive even if there was a Flood outbreak that destroyed the rest of the Galaxy. And that their species is to stay in the slipspace bubble until I determined that there would be no future flood outbreaks."_

John was silent for a few minutes as he processed everything he heard. "This... This is impossible."

 _"The impossible is merely a goal that has yet to be reached. And I assure you, everything I have said has happened and is true."_

"This... Is so much to take in. And I really doubt your making it up. But, what about that orange crystal that I absorbed? Why does it allow me to summon all those creatures? Why are some smart while the rest aren't?" John asked.

 _"The crystal was a device that was given to me by my makers to give to one of your species. The one chosen to contain the crystal would be the one that is able to shut down the slipspace bubble and would take on the role of helping humanity claim the Mantle of Responsibility. I have been watching the progress of your species outside of this world. The destruction of Installation 04, as well as the catastrophic damage to 05. Both of which were to stop the Flood. I believe that the possibility of a Flood outbreak is very low, and so I decided that it was coming time to introduce your species into the rest of the galaxy. The crystal, also known as a Promethean relay, is an object that is used to control the teleportation grid of all Promethean units. At the end of the war, the Forerunners infused the Keys of the Mantle into some of these relays, as well as other devices, allowing them to be absorbed by a living creature when given the command. It is why you are able to call and order them as you do. And as for their intelligence, when they were created there were anomaly's in some of them. These anomaly's made a select few of them more intelligent then the rest. Sentient. These beings are known as Alphas."_

"...This really is hard to understand, but let me see if I can get this all straightened out. A long time ago, A species called the Precursors made the Forerunners and Humanity. The Forerunners killed off most of the Precursors and they turned into dust to hide. The dust turned into the Flood and it started destroying the galaxy, so the Forerunners made and fired the halo rings to kill and starve the flood. They made our planet and gave you a crystal that you gave to me. Now, I'm supposed to deactivate a bubble around our planet and then what? What happens to me after that? What'll my purpose be?"

 _"As one of the inheritors, it will be your duty to help humanity gain access to all Forerunner technology and uplift your species to their rightful position as protectors of the galaxy. You will also use the Forerunners gifts to help protect the galaxy from whatever threats that may arise."_

"... Okay... But why me?"

 _"You contain one of the seeds that the Forerunner Librarian implanted into your species. You specifically contain the genetic imprint of 'Legacy of Infinite Starlight.' A very accomplished Forerunner soldier. And how true his name was, considering he only perished due to the activation of the Halo Arrays and not the Flood. Now,_ _while I did specifically choose you because you contain an engram within you, regular humans are just as capable of obtaining the Key, should they show the proper traits._

"Seeds? I don't understand what you are talking about."

 _"The librarian put select sequences of DNA from some forerunners into humans, which then helped to influence those people and the generations to come afterwards. Everything they did was for the betterment and advantage of your species."_

"Wow. This is... Wow. Wait a minute, why would the Forerunners put the Flood on Remnant if they wanted to protect it from the Flood? Doesn't make much sense to me."

 _"Because it was the perfect place to study the flood. Containment procedure prevented the flood from escaping, and if there was a galaxy-wide Flood infection, there would be no way for the Flood to enter this planet from outside of the bubble. And with no way for the Flood to escape the containment area, it was the perfect way to conduct research about a cure or weakness to the flood."_

"But the Flood escaped anyways."

 _"No, they did not escape. They were released. Someone, another Reclaimer, deactivated the containment locks. When that happened, they attacked the server rooms in section 18 and connected with the facility's network. I was able to stop the Gravemind from accessing too many systems, but it is only a matter of time until they gain complete control."_

"Okay. So including that, have I got it all?"

 _"Most of it, yes. However, I'm afraid that I cannot allow you to lower the bubble just yet."_

"Why not?"

 _"It is because of the species you call Grimm. I have studied some of them. They are indeed fascinating creatures. They do not require water, nourishment, or oxygen. But it is also because of these things that I cannot let you lower the bubble. If they were to evolve in intelligence then it is possible that they could become like the flood, traveling trough the galaxy and infecting planets with themselves. Therefor, in order to lower the bubble, we must first eradicate the Grimm from your planet."_

"Oh, gee. That's all?" He said sarcastically. "You don't think that we've tried that? Humanity's been stomped on by the Grimm for centuries. Don't you think that if we could kill them all we would have?" John asked.

 _"Of course. But while I do not know much about the Grimm's origin, I do know that they all originate from one point. You could say that they are 'fueled' by this point. If the origin where to be destroyed, the rest of the Grimm would soon fallow."_

John froze. "Wait wait wait, your saying that if we can find and kill this point, this origin, we can kill all the Grimm?"

 _"Yes."_

He stood still in shock. The Grimm, thought to be the greatest enemy of mankind, could all be killed if they could find and eliminate the source of them. It was a mind blowing fact. The Grimm had long been thought to be unbeatable, but now this ball, this monitor, could fix everything.

"How do we find the source?" John asked.

 _"Uncertain. I currently have no way of finding the source of the Grimm, however, I am attempting to find it so we may exterminate it. However, it is possible that there is more then one creature giving birth to Grimm. Now, I have a question for you. During the Key's absorption, I sensed some abnormalities. Could you please tell me in detail how your ability to summon Prometheans works?"_

John shrugged. "Sure. I am able to summon the Crawlers, Watchers, Soldiers, and now I'm guessing Knights, all at the cost of a certain amount of my aura, which is then used to maintain them. And when one of them is killed or I recall it, my aura starts regenerating the same amount of aura it took to summon and maintain them in the first place. Speaking of which, what are they?" John explained.

 _"Knights are an advanced form of AI made from the biological forms of Forerunner Prometheans. The Crawlers and Watchers are simply less advanced AI's who's bodies were built, instead of composed."_

"Composed?"

 _"There are devices known as Composers, created by the Didact. They were created during my makers war with the Flood. They were designed to bridge the organic and digital realms, turning living beings into metal constructs. However, their loss of sentience was not expected, and when my makers attempted to revert the constructs to their biological form, it only created abominations."_

"So, they were once living creatures?"

 _"Yes. Now, going back to our previous topic, it is truly fascinating that the Relay is using your aura as a power source. Normally a relay would be powered by a generator on a planet. Before your mother stole the Key, it was powered by a vacuum energy generator."_

John froze. "Wait, my mother? You knew my mother?"

 _"Not personally, no. However I saw her steal the Key as well as one of my experimental weapons, the one you hold right now. It astounding that the human that took the Key also happened to have a child with one of the Librarians seeds within. The odds of that happening are indeed phenomenal._ _But we are getting off of the primary topic._ _I am still unsure, even to this day, how it is that your species managed to unlock your souls as you did. My makers knew about this and knew that their souls could become physical, but they were unable to unlock its secrets. It makes me wonder how it is you did. But, I suppose it is what I believe your species calls, 'dumb luck.' Most interesting."_ Hallow said, before the monitor seemed to sink into its thoughts.

"Okay. Now going back to my mother, I want you to tell me everything you know about her." John said sternly.

 _"Hm?"_ The Monitor shook its 'head,' as if clearing the thoughts from it's mind. _"Oh. I know very little. She stole from me, and then returned to steal from me once more. Such hubris! She wanted to steal the weaponry that is housed in this facility. I attempted to reason with her, but she refused to listen. As a result, I was forced to put her in stasis for the time being. After all, protocol states that your species was not to know about me or my makers until the slipspace bubble is down, and no weaponry is to be distributed until then as well."_

Johns heart nearly stopped. "You... You have her here? She's alive and here?"

 _"Yes. Would you like me to take you to her? Perhaps you could reason with her."_

"Yes. Take me to her."

Hallow nodded. _"As you command, Reclaimer."_ Hallow said and floated down the hallway, with John chasing after him.

"Why do you act as though I'm in charge?" John asked, curious. he may have been distressed that his mother could still be alive, but he was still curious.

 _"Because you are. My makers chose your species to follow in their footsteps, to inherit the Mantle of Responsibility and all that they created."_

"Soooo, does that mean that you belong to me?" John asked.

 _"Yes. I follow the orders of all Reclaimers. However because you inherited one of the Keys to the Mantle of Responsibility, I will follow your orders over all others. But those of your species that wish to harm others I will not listen to."_

"Okay. But what about the Faunus? What about them?"

 _"The Hybrids, or the Faunus, as you call them, were my makers attempt to improve your species. It indeed did work, unfortunately, many members of your species dislike the Hybrids, and it is unlikely that your species will accept any of the genetic modifications that would improve them. I will listen to the Hybrids just as much as I would listen to your own species, however your orders still take precedence over theirs."_

As he finished saying this, they arrived in a new room. The room was more of a giant hallway with dozens of pods lining the sides. Each pod was big enough to house one person, and each one had a glass shield on the front. The monitor floated halfway down the hallway and turned to one of the pods. John noticed that they were all empty, except for the one Hallow was staring at, which had frost covering the glass. _"This is her. I shall revive her. One moment please."_

John watched as the frost slowly disappeared, and the door swung upwards. A women fell out of it and landed on her hands and knees. She looked up at him. He recognized those blue eyes and that black hair. He had seen them in the pictures at his home. This was his mother, and she didn't look any different then how she did 15 years ago.

"Mom?"

She stood up. "John?"

He threw himself at his mother and wrapped his arms around her. "Oh my dust, it's really you! I never thought I would see you again!" He said with tears falling from his eyes.

"John. It's really you John. Your so tall. You've grown so much. How long have I been in there?" She asked, tears welling up in her eyes as well.

John separated himself from her and looked her in the eyes. "You've been missing for fifteen years. Why did you leave us?"

"I was planning on coming back." Her eyes shifted over to Hallow, who was hovering idly nearby and watching their reunion with interest. "It's that things fault I'm here!" She said furiously and made her way towards it, only for John to hold her back.

"Wait! He's not bad. He's a friend." John tried to explain to her.

"He kept me locked in that thing for fifteen years!" She yelled hysterically and pointed at the stasis pod she ocupied just a few seconds before. "That's fifteen years I'll never get back! Fifteen years I won't be able to watch my baby boy grow up!" She said, anger and tears till emanating from her.

 _"While I may not be able to show you your son as he grew up, I can tell you that you did not age while you here inside the stasis tank. You are still the same age that you were when I was forced to put you inside it."_

"You see!? He admits that he kept me trapped in there!"

 _"I had no choice. You would not listen to reason, and protocol states that your species must evolve naturally with little to no help from me or my makers technology, and no members of the population is allowed to use my makers technology outside of the facility. Your son was the only exception and that is because he contains the Key within him."_

"What the hell are you talking about!? All I wanted was a few of your weapons! They would have helped humanity immensely against the Grimm, but you refused to help us! You have all this great technology, but you haven't helped us at all!"

 _"That is not true. I was the one who gave you access to my makers Regenerative Elemental Crystals. The substance your species has taken to calling, 'dust.' When the Grimm first emerged, and your species population began to greatly decline, I calculated that, unless you received help, your species would be driven to extinction. And protocol dictates that if your species is in danger of annihilation, I am to help you just enough to ensure your survival but also not reveal myself unless absolutely necessary. The substance would have been most helpful during the Forerunner-Flood war. A shame it was developed so late."_

John's mother looked like she was going to start yelling again, so John jumped in. "Mom! Please, we can settle this later. Right now can we please go home? Dad will be ecstatic when he learns your alive."

She froze. "... He hasn't moved on?" She asked softly.

"No. He never did. He said at your wedding that he gave his heart completely and entirely to you, and he meant it." John said, remembering the words his dad had said when John had watched a tape of their wedding.

After a moment she nodded. "Okay. Lets go home."

 _"Pardon my interruption, but you can not go home just yet. I need assistance in keeping the Flood trapped. If you do not help me, the parasite will force it's way to this facility and gain access to every system through the primary server. If that happens, your cities will fall within hours."_ Hollow said.

"Alright. What do you need us to do?" John asked.

 _"I need a Reclaimer to get to the breached areas and override the door controls._ _As for right now, we must arm you. You are already armed with a Z-750 Special Application Sniper Rifle, also known as a Binary Rifle, and are well prepared. However, your mother will need a weapon."_

"Alright. Actually, I should go back to Beacon. My team can help us with closing-" John stopped talking as his entire field of vision turned green and he got tunnel vision.

 **"DO I TAKE LIFE OR GIVE IT? WHO IS VICTIM, AND WHO IS FOE?"**

John could hear the sound of the Gravemind in his head. His vision returned to normal and he started to sweat and panic. "What the- Why did I just hear the Gravemind in my head!?" John yelled at Hallow.

 _"Do not worry Reclaimer. The Gravemind has been known to have slight telepathic abilities. But it can not do anything to you except speak."_

"What's the Gravemind?" Johns mother asked.

"I'll tell you later when I tell my team." John replied. "Okay, Hallow. Take me to my team. But how will I contact you again?"

 _"I have already taken the liberty of adding a direct connection from me to your communications device."_

John took out his Scroll, and sure enough, there was a contact with the monitors name. "Alright. Mom, do you want to come with me?"

"Of course. I haven't seen the outside in fifteen years. And I haven't seen Beacon in even longer." She said.

 _"Very well. One moment."_

Yellow rings surrounded the two, and after a moment they disappeared.

* * *

After the two of them reappeared, they found themselves in Beacons courtyard. Thankfully there were few people around, and none of them had seen them teleport in.

"So where are your teammates?" John's mother Mary asked.

"I don't know. They might be- There they are." John said as he saw and pointed at his teammates. The three were all standing by the statue. Azure had his arm around Riley and Gemina was standing beside them.

They walked up to them, but their backs were facing him so they didn't know he was coming. "Hey guys! Miss me?" He called out.

The three turned around simultaneously and all shouted, "John!"

They ran up to him and started asking him questions until John held up his hands and said, "Hold on! I'll explain everything in a minute! But first, why haven't you guys left for your mission?" John asked out of curiosity.

"We couldn't go since we were missing a member. Where did you go?

"I'll tell you in a minute. Oh! Yes. Before I forget, everyone, this is my mom, Mary. Mom, these are my teammates Azure, Riley, and Gemina." He said and pointed at each person respectively.

"it is very nice to meet all of you." She said with a smile.

"Wait. I thought your mom was dead." Gemina said, her bright blue eyes slightly widened in shock.

"I thought so to, but turns out I was wrong. Listen, I will explain everything. But all you need to know at the moment is that we need to kill some walking corpses to trap a parasite called the Flood and save the planet." John said.

None of them said anything. But after a minute of silence, Azure said, "What?"

John sighed. "Hold on." John pulled out his Scroll and contacted Hallow. "Hallow, we're ready. Transport me and the four people around me back to the facility."

 _"Of course Reclaimer."_ Familiar yellow rings surrounded the five, and they disappeared from the courtyard.

* * *

They had gotten back to the facility and John had explained everything that happened to him since he disappeared. Hallow had then explained the past about the Forerunners and John's new role as one of the keepers to the Mantle of Responsibility. Then Azure started complaining how it wasn't fair that John got to call advanced robots to serve him, that he pretty much owned a secret facility with tons of hyper-advanced weaponry, and that he was basically one of the leaders of humanity.

Azure saw it as unfair while John saw it as stressful. He had the responsibility of finding and killing the source of the Grimm, and then leading Humanity. But that last part was up for debate though. It wasn't like he could just pop up and say he was leading. But the moment that he had to announce the existence of Hallow and the Forerunners was a long time away, so he didn't dwell on it.

 _"Reclaimer."_

Hollow brought John out of his thoughts and he turned to the monitor. "Yes?"

 _"I have analysed your teammates weapons. And, while effective, they are not nearly as effective against the Flood as Hard Light weaponry. I suggest you follow me to the armory so we may find them some new weapons."_ Hallow said.

John nodded. "Alright. Lead the way. Come on guys!" He said to his friends.

After a moment, Gemina said, "So I just want to clear something up. Your mom found a crystal, a couple of years later you absorb that crystal, and you get the ability to summon those Promethean things. And it was all because the people who built this place made some keys to something called the Mantle, and you needed that key to allow us to get into space? But we still can't get into space until all the Grimm are dead?" Gemina finished.

"That about sums it up." John replied.

"Okay. So why didn't you trust us enough to tell us about the crystal?"

"Because there would have been no point to it. It's not like there was anything you could do, so I decided to keep it quiet."

"John, you should always tell your team everything. And speaking of which, who's the leader of your team?" Mary asked.

"I am." John replied.

"Aww. My baby boy is the leader of his own team." She cooed and wrapped him in a hug.

"Mom. Please, your embarrassing me in front of my friends." John said from inside her embrace. He could hear his teammates laughing behind him.

She let go of him. "That's a mothers job sweetie, and I have a lot of time catch up on." She said with a smile that sent shivers down his back.

After a few minutes, they arrived at another door. _"Here we are. This room contains all of the experimental weapons I have been working on. You may pick what you want. But, may I see your weapon for a moment Reclaimer?"_ Hallow asked John. John held it out to him, and it was encircled in yellow rings before disappearing. _"I am simply improving your weapon. It will not take long. Now, please choose your weapons."_

John stepped forward and touched the panel to open the door. Everyone's jaw dropped.

The room was filled to the brim with weapons that looked very similar to Johns in the sense that they were all black with orange or red lines on them. There were some attached to the walls, and there were some hovering over some sort of platform on the ground.

"Okay. I know where I'm taking Ruby on or next date." John said.

"Date? John, are you meaning to tell me that you have a girlfriend?" Mary said with a stern look.

"Umm... No?" John said nervously.

"I will be having a talk with her when we get back. No one dates my little boy without me meeting her first." With that she left John and went to find a weapon.

John sighed in relief. "Alright. Just look around and pick what you want." John said. His team spread around the room to look at the weapons. He watched as his mom grabbed two oval shaped weapons and watched as their parts shifted over her hands until they were like big gloves.

 _"Ah, the Z-130 Directed Energy Automatic Weapon with an alternate form of a gauntlet. Or suppressor gauntlets as a shorter term. A most excellent choice. When deployed, these weapons are fully automatic and fire small bolts of hard light. And when in gauntlet form, they coat themselves in hard light and allow you to hit a target much harder then you would normally be able to."_

Johns mom smiled. "I've made my choice."

As they browsed, John had a thought. "Hey Hallow, why are all these weapons mecha-shift? Were the Forerunners like hunters?" John asked.

 _"No. I created these weapons as experiments once I saw your species creating weapons with two modes. My makers lacked the agility and strength that you posses with your aura. And melee weaponry was not often used against the Flood, as coming into close proximity with an infection form often resulted in death. But in this case, your auras should protect you."_

"Infection form?" John asked, unsure as to what an infection form was.

 _"I will show you all of the Floods forms once your teammates have finished selecting their weapons."_ The moment Hallow said that, John heard something transforming behind him. He looked back to see Gemina with a large cannon braced against her shoulder. _"What you have here is a Z-130 Directed Energy Automatic Weapon. Also known as an Incineration Cannon. In weapon form, it launches an unstable sphere of hardlight through the air and explodes on impact. This particular version is able to transform into a mace._ Gemina pressed a weapon of the side and watched with fascination as the trigger disconnected and formed a small handle. The rest of the incineration cannon shifted upwards from the handle and into a staff, while the volatile red hard light core hovered to the end. To top it all off, three hard light blades formed around the ball of energy. _"This weapon's head will explode upon impact with a target when in mace form."_ John couldn't help but feel uneasy at the evil smile on Gemina's face.

He left Gemina to her evil fantasies and walked over to Riley. She had grabbed a weapon that was shaped like a rectangle. He watched as she pressed a button on the side and it shifted into a long spear with a hard light tip. She twirled it around to get used to its weight. She smiled and said, "I'm picking this."

 _"This weapon is a Z-180 Close Combat Rifle spear combo. Or_ _a Scattershot Spear. It is your species equivalent to a shotgun. It requires medium to close range when firing to be effective. When in spear form, it can launch its spear tip at any hostiles, and will regenerate within a few short seconds."_

As Riley practiced stabbing and slashing motions with her new weapon, John walked over to Azure, who had picked up two small and almost hand sized that each had two triggers. "What the hell are these things?" Azure said.

 _"These are Z-110 Directed Energy Pistols, or Boltshots, with a melee form of two hard light swords. Because they are made of hard light, it allows them to cut through almost any material. But they are also able to fire bolts of hard light even when the swords are deployed. But only when in pistol form, they are capable of firing quick rounds and an overcharged burst similar to that of a scattershot. Very effective."_

Azure pressed one of the buttons, and a orange hard light blade erupted from the handles. "Oh hell yes!" He said excited as he swung around his swords.

 _"Excellent. Now that everyone has chosen their weapons, we may begin. However, I have one more thing for you Reclaimer."_ Hallow said to John. The monitor went left the room and came back a moment later with an odd looking object suspended by a blue beam coming from the monitors eye. The object was made up of a red ball of energy inside a donut of white metal, and circling that donut in a circle was three white curved metal panels, like hooked talons. It looked very similar to one of the claw games one would find in an arcade. _"This is a Matter Condenser. A weapon I created myself."_ The monitor said with what sounded like pride in its voice. _"It is capable of turning any form of matter into ammunition. There is a very basic AI within it that will respond to your orders, though it will still be able to carry out complicated commands. You simply order it to grab any material, and after a few moments it will be ready to fire the matter as an explosive projectile. But after six shots it will require 1 hour to recharge. I have found a way to connect it to the relay, and as a result you will be able to control it telepathically. It is very durable, and can be used to shield you from attacks. Also, I have finished upgrading your Binary Rifle. You should now be able to launch arcs of energy from your weapons sword form. But be careful not to use it too often, lest your weapon will overheat and explode. Also, any shots should do slightly more damage against regular targets, but it will now do significantly more damage to armored targets."_

His sniper formed onto his back. It didn't look any different, but he decided to take the monitors word for it. Hallow released the Matter Condenser and it hovered behind him, pointed up into the air and flush against his back. Its length was from Johns waist to his neck, and it's circumference was only a couple of inches. John tried giving it the order to hover over his shoulder, and it floated up so that the three tipped points were facing forward and the red ball was directly above his shoulder. "This is too cool. So it'll turn anything into an explosive?" John asked.

 _"Yes. Now, there is one more thing I have to give you all. Please follow me."_

Everyone followed Hallow out of the room. Along the way, Azure came up to John and asked, "Hey. Do you think that after this is all over we can keep these weapons?"

He shrugged. "I doubt it. Hallow doesn't want anyone having his weapons right now except for me. Besides, it would look weird if all of a sudden you guys got weapons similar to mine. As much as you might not like it, I think it's for the best that you keep your machetes." John replied, crushing Azures hope.

He frowned. "Fine."

They got to a new room and walked inside. There was a table with a bunch of small devices on it. John could see three different looking devices. _"These are known as armor abilities. While they are typically synced with a suit of armor, I have developed a way for you to use them without one. These devices will allow you to do a multitude of things, and through experiments conducted on your mother, I have found a way for them to use your aura as a power source."_

"Wait, hold up! You experimented on my mom!?" John yelled incredulously.

The monitor tilted. _"Yes, however none of them had any danger of causing permanent harm. I simply wished to learn more about your aura, as while it was theorized by my makers, there was no way for them to predict how it would act. And from the research I conducted, I have learned a great deal about your aura. Would you like to see the data I have collected?"_

John sighed in relief. "Maybe later. Now, tell us what these things do." John said, looking at the devices on the table.

 _"Very well. This one is the Z-5080 Short-Range Spectrum Augmenter. It allows you to see objects through walls. The next is the Z-90 Photonic Coalescence Emitter. It creates a shield of impenetrable hard light that will only fall when the module overheats. When the shield turns red it is an indication that the shield will soon deactivate. However it's cool down speed is quite fast. Finally, is the Z-2500 Automated Protection Drone. It will create a stationary drone that will fire on all enemies within range. This module will also overheat, but like the others its cool down time is short. You may pick what you want, I must go and collect one last thing before you go."_

The monitor one again flew out of the room. Everyone walked up to the table. Everyone unanimously agreed that only one person would need the Spectrum Augmenter module, and so John chose to pick it, since he would likely be the one farther in the back and therefore wouldn't need the extra protection that the other modules gave. Mary and Gemina chose to have the drones, while Riley and Azure chose the hard light shields. It made sense since Riley and Azure would be closer to the Flood then everyone else and therefore would need extra protection. Each device attached firmly to their wrist. Everyone gave their new abilities a try. Mary and Gemina tapped their wrists and two drones popped into existence above them while a blue shield formed in front of Riley and Azure. John tapped his wrist and watched as the world lost its detail and turned blue. He could still see the walls and their edges, but now he could see the highlighted form of some flying robots through the walls. The weapons in the room were also highlighted in green light.

John kept on experimenting with his new ability until Hallow came back in with another object in his beam. The monitor dropped the object in Johns hands and he observed it. It was a metal square with a white light in the middle of it. There was an indented line going through the light from the one corner to another. "What is it?" John asked.

 _"This is an aura booster. One of the new developments I created through the study of aura. It will improve your aura by 400% for 12 hours. However, there is a great many possible side effects. Extreme exhaustion and depleted aura for up to 72 hours after use, loss of conscious, spontaneous bleeding from the eyes or nose, temporary loss of muscle control, blurry vision, aura fluctuations, extremely painful cramps headaches and chest pains, but the most serious would be slipping into a coma for an indeterminable amount of time. The last one is the least likely to happen, however it is still possible. None of these are permanent, and the longest they should last is one week. It is your choice to use it, however it will allow you to summon more Prometheans. If you decide to use it all you need to to is break it."_

"Jeez. You couldn't have tried to get rid of the side effects?" John asked. None of those side effects sounded like fun.

 _"I have experimented on it in the past to try and improve it. This is the current result. My simulations predict that the previous form would have resulted in the users death after several hours of extreme pain and insane delusions."_

John looked at the square in contemplation, not feeling at all confident in using it after hearing that. He looked at his teammates and mother and said, "What do you guys think?"

"It's your choice dude. But bleeding from the eyes doesn't sound too nice. Neither does a coma." Azure said helpfully.

"John. I just got you back. I don't want to lose you." Mary said.

"I honestly don't think you should use it. We've handled hoards of Grimm before, we can handle this." Gemina said, and Riley nodded in agreement.

John thought for a few minutes. Finally, he made his decision. "Guys, mom, the Flood was able to conquer an entire galaxy. Destroy entire armies that had the same weapons we have right now. We're going to need all the help we can get. Besides, saving the planet and hopefully the worst thing that happens to me is a coma? I can deal with that." And with that, be broke the square in half.

As the light flew into him, he watched as his orange aura flared to life around him. Energy filled every crevice of his body, and he felt like he could run a marathon ten times over. He had never felt so strong, so energized.

John turned to his friends and smiled. "Well? What are we waiting for? Let's go."

* * *

As the group of five walked down the hallway they could hear the sounds of combat. Hallow had informed them of their objective before he teleported them to Section 1. All they had to do was push the Flood back, and close the doors. Easy. Except that they had to fight through a mile of Flood before they got to the door.

Hallow had also taken the liberty of showing them the various types of Flood forms. The first was the infection forms. Small, fast, and easy to kill, but possibly the most dangerous. The infection forms attacked in swarms. Hallow had told them that they had small tentacles on their body that penetrate the skin, taped into a persons spinal cord, and unleash an attack on the host's nervous system and killing the host almost instantly. Then it rewrites the neural pathways of the victim's brain with its tendrils and releases it's worst weapon, the Flood Super Cells. These cells caused rapid mutation, and where what turned a person into a combat form.

If infected, the persons body would rot very quickly, and the persons internal organs would liquefy. The biomass would then be shifted to one of the persons arms to appear as hard bony appendages. The parasite would then settle in the persons now empty chest cavity, and it's tentacles would erupt out of the victims mouth, or emerge out of the neck and push the head to the side. Creating a combat form. Riley had puked at the sight of the holographic display of a person being infected, and everyone else had looked a little queasy as well as afraid. Despite being rotten, combat forms were fast and hit hard. And if the body wasn't completely destroyed then another infection form could revive it. But since their weapons were made to fight the flood, the Flood'd body's would be disintegrated upon death.

Then there was the carrier forms. These ones were big and slow. They had a large sack on their back filled with infection forms. If they got too close they would explode and infection forms would scatter everywhere. But the same thing happened if they were shot.

Finally, there was the stalker. The stalker was fast and could climb and surface. It didn't hit that hard, but what made it difficult was it's ability to morph into two different forms. A tank form, which was big, tough, and could puke up infection forms, and a ranged form, which was immobile and fired regenerating spikes at its enemies. But they were easy to kill.

When Riley had asked if Hallow was coming with them the monitor said, _"I cannot. Protocol states that I can not be captured by the Flood, for if I am the Gravemind will gain a great deal of information."_ John didn't blame him. If Hallow got captured then they'd probably be fucked.

They got to a corner and John turned around to his mother. "Mom, you're a full fledged Huntress. Do you want to lead? Your more experienced then us all.

She smiled and shook her head. "No John. This is your team and your mission. You lead."

John nodded. "Are you ready?" He asked everyone and watched as they all nodded. John sighed. "Alright. Let's do this."

They all walked around the corner and saw a huge battle going on. There were the flying robots that Hallow had told him were called Sentinels. Robot guards that were armed with an energy beam. They had been defending the facility for over three months. And as efficient as they were, the Floods numbers had been overwhelming them faster then the facility could produce them. It looked like there were about 300 or so in the large hallway, but it looked like the Flood were numbered in the thousands. Every so often John would see a Sentinel come out of a grey machine on the wall and join the frey. Hallow had told John that they ran on a non-sentient AI and would obey his command.

John saw the Flood ranged forms launching their spikes at the Sentinels. Some of the combat forms were trying to leap at the Sentinels, and they managed to destroy some. The infection, stalker, and tank forms were trying to run past their airborne enemies, but because of that the Sentinels focused mainly on them. And since the Sentinels couldn't shoot the ones shooting them, they were being brought down before their shields could save them.

John thought for a few seconds before summoning 15 Crawlers, 10 Watchers, 7 Soldiers, and 5 Knights. He chose to bring out his alphas because John could feel their urge to fight. He just told them to be careful. Calling all of those took about 75% of his new aura supply. That left him with his regular aura size from before he used the aura boost.

John called out, "Sentinels! Focus on all ranged forms! Only attack other targets if no more ranged forms are around or they are getting too close to us!" The Sentinels immediately stopped firing at the wave of marching Flood and instead focused firing at the ones shooting them. "Knights! Focus on the tank forms! Crawlers, focus on the infection forms! Watchers! Focus on protecting all friendly units but also fire on infection forms as well!" John's Prometheans rushed forward to follow his orders. "Alright. Let's focus on the combat forms." He said to his team and mother.

Everyone spread out across the hallway. His mom and Gemina called up their drones for a bit of extra firepower. The hallway became a mass of burnt flesh and destroyed machines. John saw Riley out of the corner of his eye looking a little queasy. He didn't blame her. Her enhanced sense of smell couldn't have been an advantage in such a situation.

Gemina and the other Knight Battlewagons were doing the most damage with their incineration cannons. The blast radius allowed them to get 5 or more kills with every shot into the parasite packed hallway. Meanwhile John and his fellow Promethean snipers were able to kill an incredible amount of flood, with each shot going through their target and continuing onward until it hit a wall. Riley, Azure, and Mary were all firing their respective weapons and killing a sizable amount of Flood. John noticed that his Crawlers seemed to enjoy pouncing on the infection forms and biting any combat forms that got too close.

After a few minutes of nonstop shooting from John, his team, the Sentinels and the Prometheans they were able to start walking forwards. It was a slow and steady progression. A few meters every minute or so. At one point they pushed up to fast when a large wave of Flood attacked and everyone had to resort to their melee weapons.

Azure sliced off the head of a combat form before uppercutting a tank form in half. He then took the time he had to start shooting overcharged blasts into other flood forms running toward him.

Riley shot a swarm of infection forms before switching to her spear and shooting it into a tank form. While her spear tip was regenerating a Combat form came up and attempted to hit her. She blocked it with the spear and began twirling it around, hitting it in its knees, stomach, hips and head before finishing it off by stabbing it through its face.

Gemina swung her mace into a hoard of infection forms and detonated it, killing them all. She then swung her mace around to hit a tank form before smashing it into the ground with an overhead swing.

Mary used her suppressor gloves to grab a stalker form and rip it in half. She dropped its corpse to grab a a combat form and smash it into the wall before punching a tank form through a crowd of carrier forms.

John decapitated three combat forms in half with one swing, before stabbing a stalker form. He switched Atomizer to sniper form as he back flipped to avoid a carrier form exploding. He got a few feet away and razed the ground with Atomizer to kill off the small mushroom like creatures.

John decided to try out his new weapon. He mentally commanded the Matter Condenser to pick up the corpse of a combat form that had been killed by a sentinel. The Matter Condenser flew over to the corpse. The three metal beams curved to pick up the body and, after a moment, the body seemed to melt into red light and the beams straightened out. John ordered it to fie at a group of ranged forms on the room. The three beams began circling around the red orb slowly as they picked up speed. And after five seconds, a red ball of energy shot out of it and exploded in the center of the group of ranged forms, vaporizing them all.

Before he could admire his new weapons work, he turned to see three tank forms running at him. He shot the first one with Atomizer, before stabbing the second one through the head. The tank form he killed leaned forward, and it's weight took his falchion from his hand before it's body disintegrated.

The final tank form was on him and he stabbed it through the stomach, severing it's legs from its upper body. The top half of the tank form's weight forced him to the ground and pinned his arm to his sides. It shoved its face in front of his, and all of a sudden, John heard the Graveminds voice come from the legless tank form. **"FROM END TO END OF THIS GALAXY, MOST ARE _BLINDED!"_**

The tank form raised its large appendage to crush him, only to be punched into a wall by his mother. "Be more careful John. I wont be there all the time to save you." She said.

"I know. Thanks for the save though." John said as he picked up his dropped falchion.

"My pleasure sweetie." She said before leaving to kill a swarm of infection forms.

After an hour of pushing the Flood they finally made it to the door. Once the wall of Flood was a few meters from the door John pressed a panel beside it. The panel turned green and the door starting closing. Everyone kept firing at the Flood even as it closed so they couldn't get through. After a few seconds, the door closed, and all they could hear was the sound of each others breathing and the Flood beating on the door.

"So... We finally did it. That wasn't so tough." Azure said with a confident smile.

"Yeah. But the next ones are going to be tougher. We don't have as many Prometheans." John said after he finished counting how many he had left. He had lost 3 Crawlers and 1 Watcher, but no Soldiers or Knights.

"Eh. We'll wing it."

John could feel his Scroll buzzing. He brought it out and put it on speaker, allowing Hallows voice to project through the hallway. _"Excellent work Reclaimer. Your authorization has locked the Gravemind out of those door controls. However, until we can clear the infection from the server rooms, the Gravemind may find a way to override your command. But it would likely take several days for it to develop a method to do so. So there is no rush to clear the server room. I should inform you that the next section has an increased number of flood in it. Good luck Reclaimer."_

John put away his scroll and sighed deeply. _"It's gonna be a long day."_ He thought.

* * *

Ruby Rose was not having a good day. First her boyfriend disappeared, she was forced to leave for her mission instead of look for him, she fell in a hole into an underground city, and then she was captured by the White Fang. At least her friends rescued her.

"I'm fine I'm fine but listen!" She said as her teammates fussed over her. "Torchwicks got all sorts of weapons down here!"

"What?" Blake said.

"Mechs, androids, they're all loaded up on the train."

"Ah, that's ridiculous. These tracks lead to a dead end." Dr Oobleck said.

"Well, they're going somewhere. We need backup. Let me call John." Ruby said as she pulled out her scroll and called Johns number.

"Ruby, you couldn't even reach him when you tried after he disappeared." Yang said.

"Disappeared? What happened to him?" Dr, Oobleck asked.

Before anyone could respond, a male, robotic voice came out of Ruby's Scroll. _"Hello. I'm afraid that the owner of this communication device is very busy right now. Please call back later."_

Ruby recognized that voice. "Wait! Your the thing that abducted John!" She yelled at it angrily.

 _"I did not abduct him. I simply required his help, and I had no time to waste explaining the situation."_

"Let me talk to John! It's really important!"

 _"Whatever your situation is, I assure you it is nowhere near as important as his."_

"It is really important! Just tell him it's Ruby!"

 _"Hmm... Very well."_

After a few seconds, Johns voice came through the Scroll. But everyone could hear sounds of combat in the background. They could also hear cries of pain, cries that everyone noticed didn't sound like human or Grimm. "Ruby!?"

Ruby could hear that he was breathing heavily and sounded exhausted, but she was just happy to hear his voice that she ignored it. "John! Are you okay? What happened to you? You just disappeared. None of us-"

"Ruby! What is it!? Now's really not a good time!" They heard a wet ripping sound.

Everyone's eyes widened at the sound of an inhuman roar. One that definitely didn't belong to a Grimm. "What was that!? What are-"

"RUBY! GET TO THE POINT!" Ruby flinched. John had never yelled at her. Never.

She recomposed herself. "Torchwicks up to something! He has a bunch of White Fang and robots! We need help!"

Several seconds of combat was all they heard before he finally spoke again. "Ruby, I'm sorry to say that you're on your own! We got a mission of our own going on and we can't- FUCK!" Johns voice was cut off with the sound of something hitting him. "Oh SHIT! Get it off me! Get it off me!"

"John!? John, are you okay!? JOHN!?" Ruby cried out in worry.

They all heard the sound of something hitting John's Scroll and the sound of it sliding across whatever floor it was on. They heard the sounds of heavy footsteps walking by.

A few seconds later, the screen of her Scroll began flickering as an ominous voice came through the Scroll's speakers. **"I HAVE BEATEN FLEETS OF _THOUSANDS_! CONSUMED A GALAXY OF FLESH AND MIND AND BONE! YOUR HOPE OF VICTORY IS _FLAWED_! THE ONLY HOPE YOU HOLD IS THAT OF _DEFEAT_! AND WHEN THIS CAMPAIGN OF OURS IS OVER, I WILL FEAST _UPON YOUR BONES!"_**

They heard something crunch, and then the call ended.

No one spoke. They were all too stunned. Ruby tried to get the signal back, but there was nothing. Absolutely nothing.

* * *

 **MUAHAHAHAHAAHAHA! I know, I'm evil. Two cliffhangers back to back? I must be a horrible person. But in reality, this chapter just reached almost 12K words, and I wanted to give this chapter a dramatic ending. I think I succeeded. So, who can find the hidden message in this chapter? Also, I can assure you all that John is not overpowered and I will not let him become overpowered. This I promise you.**

 **Please review and tell me what you think. And as always, I'll see you next time.**


	10. Chapter 10 - Rebuilding the Dam

**A/N: I know, I know. I'm late. I'm sorry. Let's just say life's been hectic. Also, I wanted to post this on the 1-year anniversary of my story. And yes, I realize I'm a day late. But this'll just have to do.**

 **Now that that's out of the way, I would just like to give you all a huge thank you for your continued support in my story. It means so much to me, and so do all of you. Also, another shout out to Generatedname, who has been an enormous help and a great friend.**

 **Reviews**

 **Guest: Thank you. Though I'm not so sure what was so funny. Eh, everyone's entitled to their own opinion.**

 **Guest: I agree.**

 **BrutusPrimus: I will.**

 **GREAT CELESTIAL-DRAGON: *Evil laugh* I'm glad you both enjoyed/hated it. Now on the topic of the UNSC, I'm honestly on the ropes. I'm thinking that I might have a UNSC ship find them. But that would be a big plot change, and I think we're only still at the beginning of the RWBY storyline. So, while they may come, I don't think it'll be for a little while.**

 **WinstontheNinja: Thank you! I am happy that you like it. And thank you for your constructive criticism. As for the Retrievers, so would I. Did you know that Retrievers aren't actually combat Sentinels? They're actually miners, designed to extract minerals from celestial bodies and use them to repair and build installations. However, they can be modified for combat.**

 **thermalsnipern7: I have to agree that would be awesome. Unfortunately, that probably isn't going to happen. At least not any time soon.**

 **HolyKnight5: You raise good points.**

 **Thatguy: Of course I won't do that. Not yet, at least...**

 **maxdelrio14: I really haven't. And I'm probably not going to. It just isn't the kind of thing I think I would enjoy writing.**

 **Redemption's Avenger: Lol.**

 **jtopel: I'm glad you're enjoying it.**

 **deathcornfive: I'm sorry, but I can't understand what you tried to say here.**

 **Schmitty16: I know~ :)**

 **AXL999: Lol. It would actually fit well. Never though about it though. And I wanted a dramatic ending.**

 **darkromdemon: And now you can.**

 **Guest: Everything that you said is true.** **Although, I have doubts about humans eating the Precursor dust. As I don't see how they could possibly deduce that the remains of their creators was spices and pet food. And they wouldn't have eaten it without extensive testing to see not only wha tit was, but if it was safe. But anyways, I have to disagree with you on the Flood using Aura and Semblances. As both of those are manifestations of the soul, and I'm fairly sure that the Flood has no soul(s). But, I could always be wrong. Maybe the Flood absorbs souls as well as knowledge. Unfortunately, without more information, there's no way for us to know.**

 **Guest: I realize Dust doesn't work in space. But in my story, the only reason Dust doesn't work in space is** **because the planet is surrounded in a Slipspace bubble, and Hallow drains their energy as Dust leaves the planet. Not only that, but Dust wasn't the reason for their aura, strength, and , it doesn't make sense for them to lose their powers once the bubble is dropped. And Master Chief has Bornstellars Seed, the Iso-Didact.**

 **GhettoPeach1: I'm afraid to say that he will not be coming to Remnant. Sorry. I suggest The Remnant Campaign, that's a good story. As for the fight, it is a difficult one to answer. On the one hand, Yang has shotgun gauntlets, aura, semblance, and all the strengths that come with them. On the other hand, the Chief has an energy shield, lot's of weapons, augmentations, and a power suit. With those details in mind, i personally think that the Master Chief would win. Here are my reasons: 1. His energy shield recharges quickly, while aura takes much longer. 2. His multiple weapons make him capable of multiple ranges and attack styles. 3. He has much more experience and training then Yang. Therefore, I think the Master Chief would win.**

 **somerandomdovah: You are welcome. It wouldn't make much sense not to add the Knights.**

 **Jack54311: Thank you for pointing out that mistake to me, and for your answers. I'm very glad that you continue to like my story.**

 **Guest: I honestly think your the same Guest as before, but I'll respond as if you weren't. As I told the other Guest, it wasn't Dust nor the slipspace bubble that gave them their aura, strength, and , it doesn't make sense for them to lose their powers once the bubble is dropped.**

 **Zolth411: Thank you.**

* * *

Remnants Reclamation

* * *

It took nine and a half hours of nearly constant fighting to clear sections one to nine and close the doors. Nine and a half hours of death, destruction, and loud noises. They were all exhausted and covered in green Flood goop, but their was only one section left to clear. Section eighteen.

The doors had never been opened in section eighteen, instead they had been blown open. It should have been easy for the Sentinels to clear and repair the damage, since all the surviving sentinels that had been guarding sections one through nine were now assaulting the breach at Section eighteen. But there was something there that was killing off the Sentinels in large enough numbers that they couldn't finish their job. Hallow said that it was possibly a large Flood form, or some sort of other anomaly.

John had ordered a ten minute break before section eighteen for a little bit of rest and so their auras could regenerate. None of them were injured, but everyone's aura was at least below 50%. John didn't have that many Prometheans left either. Only 4 Crawlers, 6 Watchers, 3 Soldiers, and 2 Knights. As his aura had regenerated over the course of the fights he kept summoning his lost units, but he couldn't summon them at the moment without completely depleting his aura. And John knew that when fighting the Flood, the first thing you want is a shield between you and them.

Fortunately, Aries, Harpy, Remus, and Strategos were all still alive, and had been ordered to recall themselves if they were in danger of dying. John had been taking extra precautions to make sure he didn't lose any of them.

Meanwhile, his his Matter Launcher hovered over his shoulder, flickering every few seconds. It was likely a result of its low power, as it only had one shot left before it had to recharge, and John was waiting for the right moment to use it.

"Okay. Break's over. We need to keep going." John ordered, causing Azure to groan.

"John, we've been fighting for hours. We can't keep going like this." Azure moaned from the spot where he was laying on the ground.

"Dude, trust me. There is nothing I would like more then to crawl in bed and sleep for the next three years. But we have to do this. It's the last section. After that, we can go home."

Azure groaned again but got up, Johns mother and teammates copying him. John pulled out his Scroll and called Hallow. "Okay. Send us in."

 _"Affirmative. Be advised, I have ordered some shield protector sentinels to help you."_ Before John could ask, the yellow lines surrounded them, and they were transported into the fire.

* * *

They appeared in the hallway of section 18 as the teleportation grid stitched their atomic structure back together.

After they appeared in the large metal hallway, John looked around and saw the Flood and the Sentinels fighting down the hall. But he saw that there were some sentinels that had smaller, unfamiliar sentinels hovering beside them. Some were projecting a yellow energy shield around a single sentinel, while some were pulsing green waves that seemed to repair them. And John saw a few red ones that just floated beside a sentinel and assisted in firing at the Flood.

Out of one of the grey machines on the wall, five of the small sentinels came out. They hovered over to them, and each one projected a yellow shield around one person. John reached out to touch it, only for it to phase through. "Personal energy shields. These'll come in handy." He said.

" _This_ would have been nice to have for the last TEN HOURS!" Azure said, his face contorted in a look of frustration and anger.

"I'm sure there's a good reason as to why Hallow didn't give them to us earlier." John said trying to calm his friend down.

Strategos took that moment to interject. **"Indeed. The number of protector sentinels in this facility is low. Perhaps 1,000 of all three types. I can sense that this section has more Flood then the other sections, since this area is the most important to the Gravemind as it houses the secondary server room. This is most likely why the monitor has given them to you now."**

John translated what Strategos said. "Oh. Well that makes sense I guess." Azure mumbled.

"Okay. Let's finish this, once and for all." John said.

Everyone except for John, Harpy, and the last remaining sniper Crawler ran towards the hoard. John, Harpy, the Crawler fired their Binary Rifles from afar while slowly moving up.

Everything went as normal. They shot Flood, sliced them into pieces, and slowly pushed them back. Their shield protectors really did help, acting as a weaker second layer of aura that regenerated faster. It blocked the Floods melee attacks as well as any ranged attacks. Yet despite the hundreds of deaths, the Flood continued to throw themselves at them. It was a flood of flesh.

 **"YOUR FOREFATHERS REFERRED TO ME AS A PLAGUE, A DISEASE, A CURSE. BUT I AM NONE OF THOSE. I AM CLARITY. CLARITY THROUGH THOUGHTS, MIND, AND BODY."**

* * *

After two hours, they finally made it to the server room. The server room was a room connected to the hallway. A regular sized door was the only indication that it was there.

As he prepared to enter the room, John felt his Scroll going off in his pocket. He sheathed one of his falchions and pulled out this Scroll. "What is it!?" John yelled, having to raise his voice to get over the sounds of combat.

 _"There is a Reclaimer attempting to contact you. She said that her name is Ruby and that there was something very important going on. Would you like to speak with her?"_ Hallow asked.

John looked around. There weren't _too_ many Flood forms around him. "Fine! Put her through!"

After a moment, he heard his Scroll shift callers. "Ruby!?"

 _"John! Are you okay? What happened to you? You just disappeared. None of us-"_

John cut her off. "Ruby! What is it!? Now's really not a good time!" John sliced off the arm of a combat form that leaped at him, causing it to roar at him before it was cut off by him slicing it in half.

 _"What was that!?"_ She asked, referring to the Floods screech. _"What are-"_

A large group of tank forms came out of the swarm and ran in his direction. Seeing that he had little time, he cut her off again. "RUBY! GET TO THE POINT!" He yelled, hoping to make her hurry up.

She was quiet for a second, until she said, _"Torchwicks up to something! He has a bunch of White Fang and robots! We need help!"_

John sighed. "Ruby, I'm sorry to say that you're on your own! We got a mission of our own going on and we can't- FUCK!" John was interrupted when a tank form tackled him from the side. He shoved his sword through its face, but the tank forms momentum kept the body going, making it fall on him, and forcing his Scroll out of his hand. He tried to push the large creature off him and grimaced as he felt its hard rotten flesh wither beneath his touch. No matter how hard he tried to get the corpse off of him, it refused to move. He saw movement close to him out of the corner of his eye and looked over.

To his horror, he saw a pod of infection forms running towards him. They must have seen that he was restrained and decided to go for the easy kill.

"Oh SHIT!" His protectors shield had fallen when the tank form fell on him, and he didn't know how low his aura was. If it was too low, then those infection forms would burrow under his skin and turn him into a mindless monster.

"Get it off me! Get it off me!" He yelled while trying his hardest to push off the corpse that was preventing him from moving.

Just when the infection forms were almost upon him, Azure came out of nowhere and shot them all to shreds with two Boltshot overcharges. He looked down at John and asked with a teasing smile, "Comfy down there?"

John glared. "Very funny. Now get this thing off of me!" Azure rolled his eyes and pulled the tank form off him with Johns help. Azure held out his hand and John grasped it. "I need a vacation after this." John grumbled as he got up.

"Hey, maybe we can go and stay at my mansion after this is all done." Azure said.

"That would be nice." John replied.

The Gravemind's voice echoed throughout the hallway. **"I HAVE BEATEN FLEETS OF THOUSANDS! CONSUMED A GALAXY OF FLESH AND MIND AND BONE! YOUR HOPE OF VICTORY IS _FLAWED_! THE ONLY HOPE YOU HOLD IS THAT OF _DEFEAT_! ****AND WHEN CAMPAIGN IS OVER, I WILL FEAST _UPON YOUR BONES!_** ** _"_** The Gravemind spoke through its slaves.

After they pushed the Flood back John found his Scroll. It had been stepped on and the screen was cracked, but it would still work. When he found it the call with Ruby had been ended, and he made a mental note to call her back later when their job was done.

"Okay, me, Gemina, Strategos, and some sentinels, will clear the server room. Sentinels and everyone else will continue to move up." John commanded. The said people walked through the door, leaving Riley, Azure, Mary, Aries, Harpy, and the last remaining normal watcher and Knight to keep advancing, while at a slower pace, down the hallway. The other three Crawlers and four Watchers had been destroyed in the past two hours of fighting, and John decided to keep the aura instead of summoning them again.

John used his vision ability to see through the door. There wasn't anything directly on the other side, but he could see some combat forms and tank forms a little ways away. Before John stepped through, his mom grabbed him arm and looked him in the eye. "Be careful." She said. He could see the worry etched in her face and he nodded.

John stepped through the door, it opening automatically, and fired on the Flood forms before they could react. Everyone else entered the room as John took in the surroundings. It was a large room that had big, glowing blue spires throughout it, but many of them were coated in Flood biomass. There was a green haze in the air as well, so thick that he couldn't even see the other end of the room.

"Alright. Let's kill these things." John said to his teammates. Everyone started shooting all the Food forms they could see. The sound of their gunfire alerted the Flood hidden in the haze, and they ran out to greet their new guests.

They didn't move from their place as they massacred all the Flood coming towards them. John wasn't sure how long it was until they finally stopped coming, but once they did John used his vision ability to try and spot any more. He couldn't see anything else, except there was a large unidentifiable mass highlighted red at the back of the room. "There's something back there. Let's go see what it is, but be careful. I don't see anymore Flood, but there could still be some hiding around." John said to everyone present.

They slowly made their way to the back of the room. They didn't encounter any Flood, but John noticed that there was a lot more Flood biomass on the spires the closer to the back they got. As they walked, John's vision turned green as he got tunnel vision.

 **"I AM A TIMELESS CHORUS. JOIN YOUR VOICE WITH MINE AND SING VICTORY EVERLASTING."**

 _"You're a monster. The only thing you want to do is kill everything in the entire galaxy."_ John mentally responded.

 **"ALL LIFE DIES, ALL WORLDS TOO. AND IF THERE IS GUARANTEED PERPETUAL EXISTENCE, AFTER THAT, WHAT DOES IT MATTER HOW THE END COMES?"**

Before John could respond, his vision returned to normal. He shook his head and continued walking.

Eventually, they came across the mass John had seen with his Promethean vision. It was a large pod of flesh that was situated between the back wall and a spire. There was biomass coming out of the mass and into the spire. There were other tendrils of flesh coming out of the mass that were attached to some of the other spires in the room as well.

"I think we've found how the Flood is connected to the servers." Gemina said.

"Alright. Gemina, Strategos, take it down." John said and backed up so he wouldn't be in the blast radius. They both raised their incineration canons. But just before they could fire, an uninfected spire beside them seemed to explode, knocking Gemina to the ground despite her shield and ruining Strategos's aim. John quickly turned to the spire and looked to see what happened. What he saw made him take a few steps back.

Where the spire had once stood was the biggest Flood form he had seen since the Gravemind. It was tall, at least 6 meters. It stood on two legs and a large chest and back. It had two immensely large and long tentacles for arms with spikes on the end. It's 'face' was similar to that of a combat form except there were far more tentacles coming out of it.

 **"A Juggernaut! It's a pure form! Be cautious! It can kill you with a single hit!"** Strategos said before raising his weapon. But the Knight was once again interrupted when the Juggernaut leaped at Strategos far faster then it should have been able to considering its size.

The Juggernaut jumped on Strategos, pinning the Knight to the ground. It began hitting the knight with its tentacles and before John could even shoot it, both of Strategos back plates were destroyed. Just as the Juggernaut raised its tentacles to finish the Knight off, John recalled him, and its spikes thrust into the metal floor instead. The Juggernaut turned to him, but before it could do anything John shot it in the chest.

Instead of falling to the ground and disintegrating like he's hoped, it only took a step back. The only sign that it had been hit was a black scorch mark on its chest. The sentinels started firing on the Juggernaut, but it swatted them out of the air as if they were flies.

John ran over to Gemina. While he helped her to her feet, he could hear the Juggernaut destroying the Sentinels. "Are you alright?" John asked Gemina.

"I'm fine. I just- LOOK OUT!" She suddenly yelled and pushed him out of the way just in time to avoid the Juggernaut pouncing on them.

It landed on Gemina's shield, destroying it while swatting the protector sentinel into smithereens.

Before John could do anything, the Juggernaut drove one of its spikes into Geminas stomach, causing a gaping wound and blood to come pouring out.

"NO!" John cried out. He ran and sliced off the offending tentacle. He dropped his falchions, crouched, and swiftly grabbed Geminas incineration canon. He pivoted, stood up, and shot the abomination point blank in the chest, sending it flying across the room. He ordered the remaining Sentinels to distract it. While they did that, he knelt down to Gemina.

She was sweating and pale, while her eyes were half closed and unfocused, darting around to every corner of the room. There was blood coming out of her wound around the spike, still impaled in her stomach. He held her wrist and felt for a pulse, and while he could still feel it, it was weak.

He quickly brought out his damaged Scroll and called the monitor. "Hallow! Gemina's been hurt! Teleport her to whatever you have for an infirmary and fix her!"

 _"Understood Reclaimer."_

A moment later Gemina was surrounded in yellow rings and disappeared. His heart clenched as he felt her hand leave his. It was his job to protect his teammates, but instead she protected him, and got hurt for it.

He heard the sound of the last Sentinel exploding behind him. He got up and turned around to face the Juggernaut, his eyes glowing orange with rage. He saw that it's tentacle had regrown, but he noticed that its chest now looked a little smaller.

 **"AND THEN ONE WAS ALL THAT REMAINED. SISTER IN ARMS HAVING FALLEN AND DROWNED. SO SOON SHALL ALL THAT EXISTS AND THRIVES. SO SOON SHALL IT BE, WHEN WE ARE FOUND."** The Graveminds voice came out of the Juggernaut as it got into a stance, showing him that the Gravemind was directly controlling it. This only worked to make him angrier. He put Geminas weapon on his back and raised his falchions for combat.

John and the Juggernaut charged each other. The Juggernaut stabbed at him, but he slid under it and through its legs, slashing them as he went by. Instead of severing the legs completely, it only burnt away some of the skin.

 **"Be careful. This class of Flood is very tough. Even the calcium in its body has been broken down to function as natural armor. There is no specific way to defeat this abomination, only to cause enough damage until it can not continue to function anymore."** Strategos said through their mind link, the Knights voice sounding noticeably weaker due to its injuries.

John nodded and faced the Juggernaut once more.

The Juggernaut charged and he launched a wave of energy at it, but it only slowed its charge and left another scorch mark on its body.

It thrusted a spike at him, but John backflipped and avoided it, causing the spike to plunge into the ground where he once stood. Thinking quickly, John swung his falchion at the stuck tentacle and severed it. The Juggernaut recoiled, possibly in pain, though he doubted it. John watched as the missing tentacle regrew, noticing how its chest got smaller as it did so. He knew it had to be shifting its biomass from its chest to regrow its missing limb.

It ran forwards and swung its new tentacle at him. He ducked underneath it and swung one of his swords at its shoulder, managing to force the tip of his blade into the socket. And with one quick thrust, he succeeded in completely severing the limb. If it was at all affected by the loss of its arm, it didn't show it. Instead qurned around and thrusted its one remaining tentacle at him.

John twisted his body so that the spike hit the ground between his legs. He grabbed the tentacle, used it to pull himself closer to the Juggernaut, and shoved one of his falchions into its other shoulder socket before severing it in a way very similar to the other.

It turned away from him, as if to try and get away. But before it could retreat, he ran at it and jumped on its back. John stabbed both his falchions as hard as he could into its back. The Juggernaut flailed around frantically, trying to shake off its unwelcome passenger.

Before it could succeed, he dragged his falchions down through its hardened flesh, and the Juggernauts upper-body was nearly cleaved into three separate pieces. John jumped off and watched as it slowly teetered back and forth comically, before falling onto its back with a loud thud.

John walked up to it and stared into the only thing on it that could be called a face.

 **"I WILL RISE AGAIN."** It said.

John took a few steps back and pulled Geminas weapon off his back. "Not today asshole." He aimed and fired. Being able to hit an area not coated in hard fleshy armor, the incineration canon turned the Juggernaut to dust. Just as it was supposed to.

John, now all alone, walked to the back of the room and fired the canon at the large mass attatched to the spire. The incineration canon created a large hole in the abomination of flesh, allowing green fluid to poor out, and he smiled as he heard a muffled roar of anger and pain from the Gravemind deep within the facility. John fired three more times until the mass was completely obliterated. Even firing at the empty spot it once occupied, just to be sure.

He sighed and walked out of the empty server room. Alone. He wished he could smell the fresh air of nature, instead of the smell of burnt rotten flesh and death. He wished none of this had ever happened. And most of all, he wished he could go to bed.

He shook his thoughts from his head and ran down the hallway.

Two minutes later he caught up with the group, the destroyed door in sight.

He saw Riley looking around before stopping when she noticed Geminas weapon on his back. "Where's Gemina?" She asked.

John flinched, unhappy about the reminder of his failure to protect his teammate and friend. "She got hurt and I had Hallow transport her to the main facility to be healed. She'll be fine." John didn't actually know if she would be fine, but he knew that he needed everyone to focus on the task at hand.

Riley looked conflicted for a moment before nodding and going back to shooting the Flood.

They pushed the Flood back several meters away from the door, allowing the sentinels to start repairing it. Taking a closer look at the damage, he saw that it was about twice the size of the Juggernaut. He suspected that the Juggernaut was probably what broke the door down. It was strong enough to almost kill Strategos in just a few hits. So it was likely that it was the cause of the damage.

It took ten minutes for the Sentinels to repair the damage. During the process they had to fire through the hole to keep the Flood at bay so they wouldn't inturupt their work.

When the hole was almost closed, Johns vision turned green and he got tunnel vision once again.

 **"RESIGNATION IS MY VIRTUE, LIKE WATER I EBB, AND FLOW. DEFEAT IS SIMPLY THE ADDITION OF TIME TO A SENTENCE I NEVER DESERVED, BUT YOU IMPOSED."**

His vision returned to normal. He remained in a stunned state for several seconds, and didn't even notice that the door had been completely fixed until Azure brought him into a hug with Riley. "Haha! We finally did it!"

John couldn't help but smile as well. "Yep. We did."

John's mom came up and said, "Can I join in? Or is this a team only hug?" John responded by pulling his mother into their group hug.

"Now can we go home!? I'm starving and exhausted!" He asked John.

"No. First we're going to go and check on Gemina. Right John?" Riley asked firmly as Azure let them both go.

John hid a wince and said, "Yeah. Hold on." John brought out his Scroll and called Hallow. "Hallow, we're _finally_ done. We'd like to come and check on Gemina."

 _"Excellent work Reclaimer. I will transport you to my location."_

They were surrounded in yellow rings before disappearing, leaving the Sentinels to clean the biomass from the server rooms.

* * *

"Where's Gemina?" Riley asked the monitor as soon as they appeared.

 _"I will take you to her. Please, follow me."_ Hallow said before floating off, with everyone trailing behind.

After a moment, they arrived in a room they had yet to see. Inside there was rows after rows of white tables, just big enough for a person to lay on. All of them were empty, except for one.

"Gemina!" Riley shouted in worry as she ran to her friends side. She was sweating, and her skin had a sickly green tint to it. There was a healing protector in place of her shield protector. John watched as it repeatedly released green pulses over Geminas body. The wound on her stomach was still there, but it had stopped bleeding and was very slowly closing. There were also several white sentinels hovering around. Occasionally one would float up to her and either inject something into her, or take a sample of her blood before floating off. John noticed the color of her blood through the clear vials, it looked darker then it should have been. And it definitely shouldn't have had small black dots in it.

"What's her condition?" John asked.

 _"Unfortunately, the attack has indeed infected her with a small amount of Flood super cells. Normally, this would mean that she would be under the Graveminds control with in a few minutes. But astoundingly, her aura is fighting the infection! This is absolutely groundbreaking! This could perhaps lead to a cure for Flood infection!"_

"So, she'll be okay? Her aura will get rid of the cells?" Riley asked hopefully.

 _"Oh no. Currently, she will most certainly perish. Her aura can not fight off the infection all by itself, as the Flood is still much too strong for that, and it is currently working its way through her system. However, throughout the years of studying the Flood, I have developed suppressants. Things that can help slow the time it takes for a victim to become completely infected. And while it may be far from a cure and only slow the infection by a matter of minutes,_ _with the help of these suppressants, I believe she should be able to fight off the infection."_

"What about the wound on her stomach?" John asked, not letting his relief show through.

 _"The healing drone is keeping the wound stable. I have called for a Lifeworker Huragok to come and seal the wound. It should be here momentarily._ "

John tilted his head. "Huragok?" He asked, unfamiliar with the term.

 _"A creation of my makers. A Huragok is able to repair the flesh of an organic being, or the damage to any technological device. Depending on the class."_

Before John could ask more, the door opened behind him. He turned around and saw what he guessed was the Huragok. It looked like a giant floating balloon, or a brain. It was a big dark purple sac with a long snake like glowing white head at the front and four glowing white tentacles coming out of the bottom of it. Its head had a small snout and six black eyes that seemed almost childlike at first glance. There were two other tentacles coming from just behind the head that looked slightly different from the ones coming out of the bottom. It almost looked cute.

 _"This is Heavier Then Most. Huragok are named after how buoyant they are after their creation. He is a lifeworker Huragok, and he will be able to heal the wound on your friends stomach."_

The Huragok floated over to Gemina, but Riley blocked its path and gave it a calculating stare. It released an irritated huff, and tried to go around her, only to be blocked again.

 _"I assure you Reclaimer, Heavier Then Most will not try to harm your friend in any way. Huragok are very peaceful creatures who dislike any form of violence."_ Riley stared at the Huragoks six black beady eyes for a moment more, before slowly moving out of its way and allowing it to float over to Gemina.

The Huragok looked over the wound on Geminas stomach. After observing it for a less then half a minute, it brought two of its tentacles forward. John watched in amazement as the tentacles split into hundreds of nearly microscopic cilia. The cilia danced over her wound, connecting the skin as it went. Blood vessels, muscles, skin tissue, all were either quickly regrown or stitched back together, he couldn't tell. After a few moments, the wound on her stomach was healed. Not even a scar remained. The only thing that even showed she had been injured was a rip in her blood soaked clothes.

A white Sentinel appeared at her side and injected her with a milky white substance. Gemina didn't move for several seconds, but then groaned and cracked open one of her eyes. "...Riley?" She croaked out.

"Oh my gosh, Gemina!" Riley wrapped her friend in a large hug, quietly sobbing into her shoulder as Gemina rubbed the back of her head. "I'm so happy your okay." She cried softly. Gemina could only smile.

After a moment, Riley pulled away and turned to Heavier Then Most, who had been watching the scene with keen interest. "Thank you." She said.

The Huragok made some hand motions accompanied with whistling and soft warbling. _"He says you are most welcome and he was happy to help."_ Hallow translated.

The Huragok floated out of the room. "Incredible. Absolutely incredible. I never thought I'd live long enough to see alien life." Mary said as her eyes followed the Huragok out of the room.

"So can we go home NOW?" Azure asked.

 _"While you are welcome to go home, I'm afraid your teammate can not go with you just yet. She is still very weak and I wish to monitor her to make sure she will not succumb to the infection."_

"I think that would be for the best. How long will you watch over her?" John asked.

 _"Uncertain. A day at least, several at most."_

"Alright. So can you send us home now?"

 _"Of course. I will transport your weapons to you during... Oh dear."_ Hallow looked away as if distracted.

He blinked. "Whats wrong?"

The monitor turned to face him. _"There is something happening in your city. Communications are referring to a breach, and the creatures of Grimm roaming the streets."_

His eyes widened. "What!? Okay, send us back now!"

 _"Of course Reclaimer. Your teammates original weapons will be given to you during the process. Protocol still states that your species can not come into contact with my makers weapons, yours still being the only exception. Also, I am going to keep the Matter Launcher for the time being. After witnessing its performance, I believe I can make some adjustments to improve it."_

"Alright. Whatever. Just do it." John said. Yellow rings surrounded them and they disappeared.

* * *

They reappeared on a random roof. John instantly noticed the siren going off that indicated Grimm in the city. "Okay, I know your all exhausted, so am I. But lets do this one last thing. Then we can rest." Everybody nodded. John saw that everyone was armed with their weapons, and even his mother had her old sniper sword. It seemed Hallow had kept it all that time. He also noticed that their armor abilities were gone from their wrists. Only he still had his.

John led them across the rooftops towards where a column of smoke was billowing into the sky. After a few minutes, they got to the location.

He immediately saw his girlfriend and her team completely surrounded beowulves, creeps, and a fairly large Titiju.

Before he could issue any orders, Strategos contacted him over their mental link. **"Sir. Me and the other Alphas have finished decoding another piece of the relay. It contains the blueprint for the Z-510 Directed Energy Focus Weapon, or the Focus Turrets as your species has taken to calling them. They are** **stationary turrets capable of defending a key location by firing beams of hard light energy at hostiles after charging for approximately 3.8 seconds."**

 _"Really? Do you have ANY idea how useful those would have been when we were FIGHTING THE FUCKING FLOOD!?"_ John screamed mentally.

 **"My apologies sir. But it was difficult to decode, and we are only able to work on decoding a blueprint when we aren't summoned. Much like me. It took a month for the other Alphas to decode my blueprint. But it should be known that there is no Alpha for the Focus Turrets. Nor are they sentient. They contain even more basic AI's then other Prometheans."**

John sighed. _"Whatever. Thank you for notifying me and decoding it."_

"Alright. Got a new toy, let's see what its like." John said and searched his mind for the new unit Strategos told him about. He found it, commanded it to appear, and watched as it flared into existence.

It appeared over one of the light poles in the middle of the courtyard, just like John wanted. Its body was almost shaped like a fish. It hovered in the air and had a spike on its bottom and top, with its front glowing orange like an eye. It also had a circle on either side of it that had a glowing light as well.

The turret turned to face the nearest enemy, a creep. It charged up with a hum, its spikes extending from its body as it did so. Team RWBY and all the Grimm paused, before they turned to look at the origin of the noise. And after about four seconds, the Focus Turret let loose a violent beam of orange energy that consequently disintegrated the creep into nothing.

John took advantage of Grimm's surprise and ordered his team to attack. "Now! Everyone!"

They all jumped off the room and ran towards the Grimm. John decided to use up the rest of his aura and stay on the roof. He summoned five more Focus Turrets and each took up a place that would be hard for the ground Grimm to reach. Such as light poles, trucks, and trees.

As his team exploded into action, so did the team RWBY and the Grimm.

John fired on an Ursa, disintegrating it to dust before taking out a pack of beowulves.

He noticed the Titiju roaring at Ruby, who was backing up slightly in caution. He shifted his scope over to the Grimm's bone mask. "Time to see how much armor this thing can really piece." He said to himself and fired.

The beam cut cleanly through the Titiju's head and proceeded to go through parts its body in the path of the high powered beam, causing it to start disintegrating at multiple points on its body.

Ruby looked up to him and her mouth dropped. He gave her a smile and waved, to which she waved back with an even brighter smile.

He heard a loud bang in the distance, and turned to its origin. Surprisingly, it was Nora, riding in on her hammer. To which she used to crush a poor unfortunate Ursa into mush. The rest of team JPNR appeared a moment later and began killing Grimm at an admirable rate. He even saw Jaune take down an Ursa in only a few strikes.

He clutched at his head as a minor ache appeared, and everything started to rush through his head at a quick rate. All of a sudden, the ground started rumbling. John looked up and saw one of the Atlas ships that had arrived a few days ago coming flying towards them with a large escort of fighters. And despite seeing an incredible amount of technology and alien species just hours prior, John couldn't help but feel impressed by the sight.

The fighters began dropping robots all over the ground. When they landed they killing the Grimm in droves, while the fighters in the air did the same.

All of a sudden, one of his Focus Turrets, that had been ruthlessly slaughtering the Grimm, disappeared. One by one, they all disappeared until every one was gone. Before John could contemplate on it, he felt an unbearable pain in his chest. His mind raced to try and find a reason.

All of a sudden, as if a light bulb being switched on, he remembered. It had been twelve hours since he had used the aura booster. It had run out, and now it was time to feel the side effects. One of which, was chest pains.

He fell to his knee as he grabbed his chest, willing the pain to go away, but it wasn't. He heard a snarl behind him. Even turning around was a challenge.

There was a creep, on the roof with him, snarling. _"How did it even get up here?"_ John couldn't help but wonder.

He didn't have long to think as the Grimm began running at him. John switched his sniper to falchion form, and just before the Grimm was upon him, he struggled but managed to lift one of his falchions up, and plunged it right into the Creep's stomach. But the Grimm's momentum kept it moving forward, pushing both it and John off the roof.

John fell through the air and impacted the ground with a sickening *Crack.* John could some of his ribs being broken by the impact, but at east his spine was alright. He thought, at least.

Despite the pain, he tried to push the creep off of him, but his muscles refused to respond. Loss of muscle control was one of the side effects as well.

He suddenly felt the creep move on top of him. It leaned back and stared at him face to mouth. _"Oh, COME ON! YOU HAVE GOT TO BE KIDDING ME!"_ He screamed mentally as he struggled to move. But no matter how hard he tried, his arms wouldn't move.

The Creep leaned back before lunging forward and sinking its huge jaws into his shoulder. John screamed in pain, unable to do anything to stop it. He knew why it didn't go for his throat to kill him. It wanted to relish in the pain it could cause in a victim that couldn't fight back.

The creep shook its head, digging its teeth in deeper and causing more damage to him shoulder. It bit farther down his arm and then up closer to the side of his neck. The Creep pulled its head back, its teeth dripping with his blood.

It must have decided that it had caused enough pain, because it reared its head back to lunge at his throat. But before it could it was sent flying away. John couldn't even turn his head to see his rescuer. That is, until a pair of bunny ears came into his vision in the form of the worried face of Velvet.

"Are you alright?" She asked, her accent ever present.

John managed a weak smile. "Do I look alright?"

She rubbed the back of her head. "Sorry. Stupid question."

"Don't worry about it. But I'm bleeding, my auras gone, and I cant move." He groaned. "How's the situation?"

"It's being sealed right now by Miss Goodwitch. Almost all the Grimm are gone. When the emergency services get here I'll-" She was cut off when a red blur slammed into her, and Ruby comically replaced the position Velvet once held.

"John! Are you okay!? What happened!? Why are you bleeding!? Why are you covered in green goop!? What was that voice I heard when I called you!?" Ruby continued to ramble, and John laid there. His voice too weak to get over her and unable to physically stop her.

John was thankful when Velvet cut the red reaper off. "Ruby! This isn't the time. We need to get him some medical attention."

Ruby stopped and took a breath. "Your right. Sorry. How about you go and get someone, I'll stay here with John." Ruby suggested.

Velvet nodded and left.

Ruby looked down at him. "Are you okay?"

He groaned. "Not really. Creeps have sharp teeth."

"Well, what do you expect? They're all mouth."

He chuckled weakly. "I guess your right." He felt her grab his hand. He tried to squeeze it comfortingly, but he still couldn't move from the neck down. "How's my team?" He asked.

She looked around before settling her eyes on something. "They're alright. Who's that other woman with them? And wheres Gemina?"

"It's a long story. And that woman is my mom."

Her eyes shot back to his. "Your mom!? But... But I thought she had died!" She exclaimed.

"So did I. But turns out I was wrong. I'll explain everything later. I promise."

Ruby looked back over to his mother. "I can definitely see the similarities." She looked back down at John and gasped and covered her mouth, a look of horror on her face. "John. Your eyes."

John frowned. He instinctively reached a hand up to his eyes, and to his surprise it responded. He felt around his eye. When he pulled it back he saw blood. His blood. Then he remembered one of the side effects was bleeding from the eyes. It must have been a truly horrifying sight for Ruby.

As he stared at his bloody hand, his vision started fading. He began to feel incredibly tired, and it was hard for him to keep his eyes open. He could hear Ruby talking to him, but it didn't make sense. Her voice was all jumbled and distorted, but it sounded like she was really worried. Why was she worried? He was just tired. He was just going to sleep. Maybe she was afraid he was going into a coma. No, she didn't even know the side affects of the aura booster. So she couldn't possibly be worrying about that. Right?

His thoughts shattered apart like glass, until the only thing he could think about was the darkness that enveloped him.

* * *

The city of Vale was on fire. There was Grimm chasing after civilians unimpeded. John could only watch, helpless, as the Grimm filled the streets with blood.

 **"DO NOT BE AFRAID. I AM PEACE. I AM SALVATION."**

John could hear the Gravemind's voice echoing in his mind.

He turned and saw his teammates, fighting a massive hoard of Grimm. He wanted to make his way to them, he wanted to help them, but his feet refused to move. He could only stand there and watch them fight for their lives before the Grimm's numbers became so vast that they were blocked from view.

He turned around again and saw the dead forms of Nora and Ren lying on the ground at his feet. He saw two infection forms pop into existence and make their way over to their corpses. The infection forms burrowed their way into their chest cavities. After a moment their bodies began twitching and mutating before the infection forms erupted out of their mouths. The new combat forms that had once been his friends ran past him. He turned around just in time to watch as they leapt on their former teammates, Pyrrha and Jaune, and ripped them to pieces.

John turned around, trying to forget the sight even though he could still hear their screams as they were viciously torn apart.

 **"THE FINAL NAIL ON THE CASKET!"**

His eyes settled on the infected forms of Blake and Weiss. They stood in front of him. Staring. As if judging him and the things he had done. What right did they have to do so?

They leaped at him and John held up his hands to defend himself, but the moment they touched him they turned into green smoke.

The moment they disappeared, John heard sobbing. He looked and found Ruby, crying over top of the bloody form of Yangs body. He took a step forward, only to stop when her eyes met his. They were filled with hate, pain, and betrayal. "YOU DID THIS!" She cried out as she swung Crescent Rose at him. He didn't even try to dodge. "THIS IS ALL YOUR FAULT!" She hit him again and sent him flying back into a wall. It hurt, but not physically.

 **"ALL CONSUMPTION IS DEATH FOR THE CONSUMED. YET ALL MUST EAT, SO WE ALL BRING DAMNATION TO ONE BEING OR ANOTHER IN ORDER TO FULFILL THE LAWS LAID FORTH TO US BY EXISTENCE ITSELF** **."**

John looked up. Instead of staring into the beautiful silver eyes of his girlfriend, he was looking into the face of a combat form.

 **"SINNER!"** It yelled and leaped at him.

* * *

The first thing he felt was pain. A sharp stinging sensation in his head that slowly faded as his eyes faded back into focus. The soft beeping and buzzing of medical equipment was oddly calming as he looked around the white room.

He was in a hospital, or an infirmary. _Again_. He was resting in a classic hospital bed. He looked to his right and saw one of those things that were used to keep a person hydrated over long periods of time. The sight worried him. He wondered if he had gone into a coma and they had to give him that to survive. He wondered how much time had passed. It didn't feel like much.

He looked out the window and saw that it was nighttime. He tried to get up but noticed three things. One was that his right shoulder, arm, and neck was killing him. The second was that he was shirtless and he had bloody bandages covering his arm and shoulder, while there was a patch on the side of his neck. The third thing was that there was something holding his left arm back. He looked over and saw Ruby sleeping, holding his hand as if it was a teddy bear with her head on his arm like a pillow.

He felt joy that she was staying with him, and slight disgust in the fact that she was drooling on his hand. He had no idea how tired she was, so he decided to let her sleep. He reached his right hand over and winced while doing so. It was painful, but not unbearable. He could manage. He brushed the hair from her eyes and observed her face. He stroked her head, smiling as she let out a content hum.

"She hasn't left you since you came in." John looked up and saw a smiling nurse. "She clearly cares about you a great deal. Not everyone is going to find someone so dedicated. Your lucky."

John smiled. "Yeah." He looked back down at her. "I am."

"I'll notify your team and friends that your awake later. Everyone's asleep right now."

"Thank you."

"No problem." She smiled and walked away.

John went back to looking at Rubys face, thankful it was her and not a combat form. He wondered what his dream meant, if it meant anything at all. He dismissed it, thinking it was nothing more then his tired mind creating things to mess with him. But he wondered how he heard that last line. He knew he hadn't heard it before. Did his mind just come up with it? It sounded so real.

He felt Ruby stir beside him and pushed his thoughts aside. She got off his arm and stretched with a yawn, her eyes barley open. "Hello my beautiful Rose."

Her eyes shot open and looked to where he was lying. "John!" She yelled and threw herself at him in a hug. She buried her face in his neck. "Are you okay?"

He winced as she rubbed against his shoulder slightly, but pushed away the pain and rested his head on hers. "I've been better. How long have I been out?"

She pulled back. Silver eyes met orange. "You've been out for two days. Just what happened? Whenever we ask your teammates they just say that its not their story to tell."

"I promise I'll tell you everything. I owe you that much. Is Gemina back yet?" John asked.

She tilted her head. "Yeah. She showed up yesterday. But she's really weak and always needs someone there to support her. And now she apparently has to take some sort of pills. What's that all about?" She asked.

He figured the pills were the suppressants that Hallow said she would need to take.

"There's a lot to it, and I'll explain it all to you as well as everyone else. It's a long story and I don't want to repeat it twice. But put simply? She was infected by a parasite and now she has to take suppressants to keep it from turning her into a mindless husk controlled by a giant poetic dick monster. " John replied.

She blinked. She blinked again. And a third time. "Okaaaaay..." She drawled out confused.

They were both silent for a few moments, until John said, "So, you really stayed with me for two days? You actually did that?"

She gave him a serious. "Of course I did. Your my best friend and boyfriend. Why wouldn't I stay with you?"

"No, it's just, you didn't have to do that. I'm grateful, that's for sure. But what about classes?"

"Professor Ozpin's let all teams have a week off from school to prepare for the Vytal Festival. Even if there was classes, I would have stayed with you. Friends don't leave friends when their hurt." She stated firmly.

"You would if I was in a coma." He mumbled.

"What?"

"Nothing!" He quickly said. He hadn't thought she would be able to hear him. Before she could press more, he tried to sit up and winced as his shoulder released a spark of pain. He looked over to glare at the offending shoulder, but froze when he caught sight of his skin beneath the bloody bandages. John moved his hand to his shoulder and hissed as his hand grazed the bandages. He got to his feet and carefully unwrapped the white and red cloth, revealing an ugly, twisted wound. It was stitched up, but it was still red and coated with dried blood. The wound went from just above his elbow up to his shoulder and to the side of his neck.

Ruby fidgeted. "Your... Your aura didn't activate. And nothing the doctors tried could get it to work, even when they tried to kick start it with mine. So they used medicine and stitched it back together the best they could. But... They say its going to scar." She said sadly.

He continued to look at the wound until he wrapped them back up and smiled sadly. "That's alright. It couldn't be avoided. Besides, scars look cool."

She giggled. "Only you would think that."

"And only you would think that only I would think that." They smiled at each other. John stepped towards her and placed his forehead against hers. He closed his eyes and sighed. "I missed you."

"We weren't apart that long."

"It felt like forever." He stared into her silver eyes and stroked her cheek with his thumb.

"So." She drawled out. "I recently had a _wonderful_ chat with your mom while you were out." She said sarcastically.

John winced. "Oh no. What happened?" He asked, fearing the worst.

"Not much. Basically she interrogated me on what kind of girl I am and what I thought about you. That kind of stuff."

He sighed. "Damn it. I'm sorry about that. How'd it turn out?" He asked hopefully as he sat back on the bed.

"Actually it ended pretty well. She said she approved of me and she started being nicer after that." She said with a small smile.

"That's good. Where is she now?"

"She told me to tell you that she was going home to see your dad and that you and her would be talking after the Vytal Festival."

"Oh. Alright." John felt saddened by the fact that his mom had left, but he understood why she went to see his dad. They could catch up later. Although, it would probably be awkward considering the fact that his dad was now almost 13 years older then his mom. Good thing his dad didn't look his age.

"So, what do we do now?" Ruby asked.

"I think we should go back to sleep until everyone wakes up. You can go back to your bed if you want." He replied and laid down.

"No. That's alright. I'll stay with you." She said and sat down and rested her head on the bed.

He rolled his eyes before grabbing her with his good arm and pulling her up onto the bed with him, smiling as she let out a cute squeak. She was rather light, so it wasn't too hard to do. He laid her beside himself and faced her. "If you insist on staying here, there's enough room for us both. No reason for you to be uncomfortable." He said.

She smiled and got comfortable on the bed, still facing him. They both closed their eyes and tried to drift into the realm of dreams.

"... By the way, you drool when you sleep." He said, earning him an embarrassed girlfriend and a slap on his good arm.

* * *

"Sooooo... You saved the entire planet from a parasite, and you're basically a King with a crap-ton of cool and advanced technology at your disposal?" Yang summarized. John had been released from the Beacon infirmary with nothing more then an order to take things slow and not exert himself. After they got back to their room and he called everyone in, he had explained everything that had happened to him from the point of his abduction to when he collapsed at the Breach. They were taking it rather well, though some of them wanted to know more. Like Weiss, she wanted to know how the Forerunners made Dust. Even though he had no clue.

"Basically, yes." John said. The three teams were all in team JAGR's room. John was sitting on his bed, and everyone else, excluding his teammates who were each on their own beds, were standing in the middle of the room.

"That is so not fair!" Yang said and stomped her foot down.

"I find this all... _Very_ hard to believe." Blake said.

"My teammates can vouch for me."

"It's true." "He's right." "I feel like throwing up." Riley, Azure, and Gemina said respectively.

Gemina was back, and her skin no longer had an unhealthy green tint to it, but she was really weak, pale, and felt sick most of the time. She said that Hallow had told her that those side effects would wear off in three to four days, and she would regain her strength as time progressed. At the moment though, she mostly just laid on her bed while trying not to hurl.

"This is... very surprising. I never thought that aliens existed, or that we were on one of their planets." Pyrrha said.

"Well, it's true. Turns out, that's why we can't ever get anything into space. Hallow drains the power from dust as it gets farther away from Remnant." Gemina commented. John guessed she knew that because she had lots of time to talk to Hallow when he was monitoring her, and as a result had probably learned a few things from the AI.

Nora was shaking in excitement. "This is so awesome! Are there sloths down there? Are there alien sloths?" She gasped. "Are there alien pancakes!?"

John gave her a blank stare before saying, "Nora. I don't think that aliens would make the same food as us. But if it makes you feel any better I'll be sure to ask Hallow the next time I see him. Same about the sloths." He said. She seemed satisfied with his answer and nodded, before she appeared to drift off into space.

"This is pretty cool. But I don't think I want to meet the Flood anytime soon." Jaune said with a scared look on his face.

John heard Gemina mumble, "No you don't."

"But they are trapped now? They can't get out?" Ren asked.

"I don't think so. Not unless the same crazy person that let them out the first time tries again. But I'm sure that Hallow has probably built some sort of defense so that doesn't happen again."

Ren nodded.

"You should take some of that technology and give it to Atlas. I'm sure they would be able to reverse engineer it and use it to fight the Grimm." Weiss said, acting as if there was no way he could argue with her.

"I'm afraid not princess. Hallow doesn't want anyone else having his technology. Besides, what would happen if the White Fang got their hands on some of the tech? They already got some Paladins, so whose to say they wouldn't steal this stuff if Atlas tried to reverse engineer it? And adding to that, I highly doubt they would be able to reverse engineer it. Its centuries ahead of anything he have now."

"Well, maybe they could." Weiss mumbled, but John knew she realized he was right.

"Anymore questions?" No one answered.

"Okay. So now that's done with, what're we doing? We got a week of freedom, how are we going to spend it?" John asked.

"I'm sure Weiss-cream here has some spas or resorts we can go to." Yang said and pointed a thumb at Weiss.

"As if any of those places would let you in you brute." Weiss said with a glare.

"I know." Azure said, making everyone look at him. "Why don't we spend it at my house? There's lots to do. Its got a pool, a tennis court, a library, a race track. All kinds of stuff."

"That sounds like fun." John said.

"Wait a minute, why do you have such awesome things at your house? Are you rich?" Jaune asked.

"Basically. My parents were big in the agricultural department before they died. They left me with a big house and their whole fortune." Azure replied.

"Well, our dad invited me and Ruby back to patch for the week, but I guess we can split it half and half." Yang said.

"So? Who wants to go?" Azure asked and everyone agreed.

That was when John noticed Ruby staring at him. Her face betrayed no emotion as she walked over and grabbed him. She then proceeded to drag him out of his room and into hers, everyone eyes following them as they went.

The door to team RWBY's room closed and John asked, "Ruby? Whats wrong-" John was cut off when she turned and slapped him across the face.

John took a step back and held his cheek. He met Rubys eyes and saw that they were filled to the brim with anger. "What were you THINKING!?" She yelled at him.

"I don't- What are you-"

"A coma!? And all those side effects!? Why would you do that!?"

Realization washed into his mind. "Okay, Ruby, I know you might be mad-"

"I'm not mad! I'm furious! How could you do that to yourself!?"

"Ruby! I had to! We needed the extra firepower!"

"But you didn't have to put yourself in danger! You could have called us! We could have helped!"

"You were on your own mission! Besides, I thought we could handle it! And I was right!"

"You were only right because you used that stupid aura booster!" She finished, breathing heavily.

John sighed deeply. "Ruby. I know you don't like it that I put myself in danger, but I'm okay now. I only have five more days of side effects and then they'll be gone. Besides, I haven't had any side effects since I woke up, except that my aura has yet to regenerate, so I probably wont experience them that often." He walked over to her and put his hands on her shoulders. "Look at me." She slowly tilted her head up to meet his eyes. Her face was completely void of the anger it held before. Now all he saw was sadness and regret, with some tears starting to well up in the corners of her eyes. "I'm okay. I'm going to be fine."

He pulled her into a hug and held her against himself. He heard her let out a big sigh. "I'm sorry. I just... I don't want to see you hurt." She said and buried her head into his chest and wrapped her arms around him.

"I don't want to see you hurt either. That's one of the reasons why I used the aura booster. I didn't want the Flood to get out because if it did it would harm you. That and it would kill everyone on the planet."

She let out an amused huff. "That last one was probably the main reason." She mumbled.

He smirked. "It was. But you still count as 'everyone on the planet. Don't you?"

A small smile broke onto her face. "I guess so. Just please don't do anything that will hurt you. It hurts _me_ to see you hurt."

"Hey." He pulled her out of his chest and looked her in the eyes. "In the life of a huntsman, your gonna get hurt. There's nothing that can be done about that. But I promise I won't use any more aura boosters if I can avoid it. Okay?"

She smiled. "Okay." He leaned in and captured her lips with his own.

"Now, how about we go back to the others? We still need to plan our trip after all." He opened the door, and the members of team RWBY, JPNR, and JAGR - excluding Gemina, who was still lying in bed - tumbled to the floor.

"Wait, this isn't the bathroom!" Nora yelled ridiculously.

John gave them all a blank stare. "Really? I expected this from Azure and Yang, but the rest of you? I always considered Riley, Blake, and Ren to be the most respectful people of our three teams." John deadpanned. The eavesdroppers got off the ground sheepish smiles.

John walked over to Ruby, who was staring at her sister angrily. "How much did you guys hear?" Ruby asked, her voice sounding frustrated.

"Oh, you know. Just... All of it." Yang said sheepishly as she rubbed the back of her head.

John sighed angrily and rubbed his eyes. "Well, while I may not be able to punish team RWBY or JPNR, I do know that Azure and Riley will be running laps around Beacon tomorrow morning." Said people groaned.

"What about you?" Azure asked John.

"I'm under doctors orders not to strain myself. And I think fifty laps around Beacon without using your aura would count as straining myself." They both groaned again after hearing the number of laps.

"You know, I think that's a great idea John. I think we'll join you. Right girls?" Ruby asked with an evil smile, making it clear that there was no room for argument. They all sighed as they accepted their fate.

John looked at the last remaining team leader. "Jaune! I'm sure you and your team would love to join us, wouldn't you?" John asked with feigned happiness and slung his good arm around Jaune's shoulder.

Jaune rubbed the back of his head with a look of fear. "Oh, gee. I don't know. I mean, we're pretty busy, so maybe another time-"

John leaned in and whispered in his ear, "Either you and your team suffers with them, or you become Aries's personal chew toy."

Jaune paled. "Actually, I think that would be a great idea! It would really help us strengthen our muscles."

John smiled. "Perfect! Now that that's over with, let's start packing!" He felt his scroll vibrate in his pocket and pulled it out. He saw that it was a message from Professor Ozpin asking to talk to him. "Scratch that. I got to go and see the Headmaster."

"What for?" Riley asked.

"No idea. You guys start packing, I'll talk to you later." He said and walked out of the room and own the hallway to the elevator.

* * *

"John. Thank you for seeing me on such short notice. I know you just woke up and must still be tired." Professor Ozpin said from his chair behind his desk.

"It's no trouble sir. What can I help you with?" John asked as he sat down in the chair positioned in front of the headmasters desk.

He took a sip of his signature coffee mug. "I simply wish to chat. How did your mission go?"

John flinched slightly, hopefully not enough for the headmaster to notice. "Oh, uh, it went fine."

Ozpin gave a small smile. "Is that so? Because according to the Huntsman you were supposed to be with, your team showed up without you. And because they said they had no idea where you were, they were unable to go on the mission with a missing member. You say that you went, while an experienced Huntsman said the exact opposite. I'm curious as to how that's possible."

John was beginning to sweat. "Um... Um..." John really didn't know what to say. He was obviously caught, but what was he supposed to tell the headmaster?

"Not only that, but Dr Oobleck spoke of some very disturbing sounds he heard when you were talking to Ruby during your absence. And to top it off, I had tests done on the odd green substance that you and your team had on you. It appears that it is some form of mutated flesh and infected blood."

"So." Ozpin leaned his elbows on the desk. "Would you like to tell me where you went? Because it's not every day that this happens." Ozpin put a scroll on the desk in front of John. On it was a video of the first time Hallow teleported him to the facility from the Beacon courtyard.

John didn't speak, and for a few minutes the room was frozen in still silence.

Finally, John said, "Do you believe in the impossible?"

Ozpin cocked an eyebrow. "The impossible?"He asked, signaling John to continue.

"Do you believe that the impossible is merely a goal that has yet to be reached? Do you believe that what we call impossible is nothing more then our ways of trying to dismiss something that seems so preposterous, so unbelievable, that it couldn't possibly be true? Do you believe that we call things impossible simply because we can't understand it? Or do you believe that things truly can be impossible? Do you realize that the impossible is nothing more then an illusion our minds create to dismiss the unlikely?"

Ozpin said nothing for a few seconds, before finally he said, "John. In my life, I have made more mistakes then any man, woman, or child. I have encountered and experienced many things. Some good, some bad. And some of those things, I had at one point thought to be impossible." He looked at John closely. "There is only only one thing that is impossible John. And that is an impossibility."

He nodded. "Well then I suggest you get comfy professor. Because what happened to me is a long story."

* * *

"And that's it. That's the story of our galaxy's history and how me and my team basically saved the planet. I'm not trying to brag, of course." John finished. It had taken an hour to explain everything significant to the headmaster, and to his surprise Ozpin didn't interrupt even once.

Ozpin was silent for a few moments as he digested everything John had told him.

"I don't think your lying." He finally said. "And if you are, then it is undoubtedly the most well crafted and elaborate lie I have ever heard."

He stood up and started pacing. "In the entire history of mankind, no one has ever thought there could be something even worse then the Grimm. Yet you managed to prove those people wrong that in a matter of minutes. No doubt the more power hungry of the world would try to use this Flood as a weapon if this information got out."

"The Flood _can't_ be controlled. And people learning about the Flood would only cause mass panic. You have to understand that."

The headmaster nodded. "I do, and I will keep this information secret from all but the people I know I can trust." Ozpin stopped and looked out at the city of Vale through the window.

"I already expected you were special when I first learned that you had two semblances. If what you say is true, then there is no doubt in my mind that you will play a pivotal role in the future of Remnant. Many things have recently been set in motion, and I fear they will reach their destination faster then I can prepare you all..." He sighed. "I never wanted my students to fight a war, but now I don't think you'll have a choice."

Ozpin turned around and looked at John dead in the eyes. "What I am about to tell you must never leave this room. Only a few people know this, and I wish to keep it that way. Understood?" Ozpin asked more seriously then John had ever seen before.

John slowly nodded his head and the headmaster began. "Have you ever heard of the tale of the four maidens?"

He tilted his head confused. An old fairy tale? What did that have to do with anything? "Yes. I do. It was one of my favorite story growing up and I still remember it even to this day."

Ozpin nodded. "Good. You have explained that you no longer believe in the impossible, but I expect you will doubt what I am about to say. Now, what if I told you that the tale isn't a tale at all, and is instead history?"

"... Before today professor, I would have asked if you were on drugs. But now I'm inclined to believe you."

Ozpin smiled slightly in amusement. "The four maidens are powerful. But not immortal. Not too long ago, the fall maiden was attacked, and a piece of her power was stolen. She is currently hidden, for if the false maiden finds her, she will no doubt kill her."

"Kill her? Why would she kill her and not just take the rest of the power?"

"When a maiden dies, their power goes to the last person they were thinking of. Most often if they are being attacked and they fall in combat, the last person in their mind is their attacker. So far, we've determined that the power will only pass on to a young female, and if the maiden isn't thinking of a young female when they die, their power circles the globe in search of another one worthy to host it. But now that only a piece of power has been taken, we believe that the power, if released, will seek out it's other half. The attacker."

John tilted his head. "Why are you telling me this professor?"

Ozpin grimaced. "Because the false maiden acquired the power to steal a maidens from the source of the Grimm that the monitor talked about. Her name is Salem."

John's eyes widened in equal surprise and shock. "You know the source!? Well then what are we waiting for!? We know that if we kill her the Grimm will disappear, so let's go and kill it!" John yelled.

Ozpin sighed and sat back down. "I only wish it was so easy. We have no way of knowing where she is, only that she exists. But your information will certainly be of help to humanity in the future, now that we know the Grimm can be eradicated only by killing her."

John sighed deeply. "I should have known it was too good to be true." He muttered.

"Do not worry. We are doing everything in our power to find her, and the false maiden. But, there is one more thing. Something more serious. Underneath this school is... An object, of incredible power. It is not the only one. There are three others just like it underneath the other three academies."

John tilted his head. "What is it?"

Ozpin looked conflicted. "I... Can't tell you. Or rather, shouldn't tell you. The fewer people who know the better. But what you do need to know, is that if the wrong person were to get all four of these objects, the results would be cataclysmic. Which is why, if the need arises, you must do everything in your power to protect these objects, and not allow all four to fall into their hands. Do you understand?"

He nodded. "Yes professor."

Ozpin looked at his watch. "I have taken up enough of your time, you still need your rest after all. You may go now. Enjoy your week of freedom. It might be the last you have for a long time."

John nodded and stood up. "Thank you professor. And good luck."

"And to you was well." Ozpin said to John as he walked away.

* * *

After the meeting with professor Ozpin, John decided to call Hallow and see what the situation was at the facility.

His Scroll didn't even ring once before Hallows voice came out of it. _"Reclaimer. You are awake. It is fortunate that you did not go into a coma."_ John figured that was the monitors way of saying 'I'm happy your okay.'

"Yep. I'm good. So whats the condition at the facility?" John asked.

 _"Everything is well. The Flood can no longer get through the doors, as I have re-enforced them so no more Juggernauts class Flood forms may get through. My apologies for not informing you of that particular type. They are so rare I did not think it would be wise to take the time needed to brief you about them, as I did not think you would encounter any."_

"It's fine. But next time I suggest a full report on them all."

 _"Understood Reclaimer. Now I believe we must discuss our more current plans: Eliminating the source of the Grimm so we may disable the Slipspace bubble. My suggestion is you finish your training at your school. You will need the skills that those there can teach you."_

"Well I was planning on finishing Beacon anyways."

 _"Wonderful. Then there will be no problems. Once you finish your training, we may begin looking for the origin of the Grimm."_

"Sounds good. So what's Gemina's condition exactly?"

 _"She still does contain a small amount of Flood super cells within her body, and they will likely remain there for several weeks to come. However, as long as she continues to ingest the suppressants I have given her, she will be fine. As well as her strength should return to her in just a few more days."_

"Alright. Good. Anything else I need to know?"

 _"I do not believe so. Please do not hesitate to notify me if you are in need of anything else."_

"Gotcha, thanks. Talk to you later." John said and hung up.

* * *

The next day came quickly. The sun was just rising over the horizon, creating beautiful orange streaks in the sky.

"So when do we leave?" Ruby asked. John had his arm around Ruby who was snuggled up against his side, with Aries lying on his other side. They were sitting with their backs against one of the large Oak trees in the Beacon courtyard.

"In about two hours. Azure's house isn't that far, so it should just be a half hour flight or so." John replied.

They both watched as their teammates and friends ran by them, panting heavily. They had been okay at first, some of them were very well muscled and were able to run for an admirable amount of time. But some of them, like Jaune, Weiss, Ren, and Riley didn't have as much stamina as the others. It was particularly hard on Jaune and Weiss, who respectively didn't have that much muscle mass and had to run in high heels. None of them were allowed to use their aura to enhance their bodies, so running fifty laps around Beacon was a lot tougher then it normally would have been. Especially considering the size of Beacon.

Gemina was still in bed, John couldn't run on account of his injures, and Ruby had finished her laps an hour ago. Her speed semblance allowed her to beat them all by a mile. Even if she didn't use her speed, her semblance gave her well toned and muscled legs, meaning that she could've outrun them all anyways.

"Okay guys! You can have a five minute break!" John yelled. They both watched in amusement as everyone hunched over and gasped for breath. John snorted in amusement when Jaune fell to the ground on his back.

"Don't worry Jaune! You only have twenty three laps left!" Ruby said cheerfully.

Jaune gave them both a half-glare. "I... Hate... Both of you." He said in between gasps.

"Aww, that's not very nice Jaune. But then again, neither is eavesdropping on a private conversation." John said.

"You two really do like your privacy don't you?" Yang asked. A sly smile crossed her face. "Is that because your trying to discourage us from peeking on your guys's future activities? How long have you guys been planning this out?" Ever since she realized that she couldn't stop them from dating, she had taken to teasing them instead. With a bit of threatening John in between.

John looked at his wrist as if it held a watch. "Oh, look at that. Five minutes is up. Back to it!"

"YANG!" All the runners chorused before regretfully resuming their march.

After they had gotten out of earshot, John said, "I won't lie, that felt good."

Ruby smiled. "It did. Here's to being evil genius's." She held out her hand.

John smirked. "To being evil genius's." He repeated and highfived her.

* * *

 **A/N: Another chapter down. Boo-ya. Now, what did you guys of the Graveminds speech? Not only in this one, but also in the last chapter?**

 **Another thing: On account of me currently working on a new story, I've been distracted from working on RR. Although I think I'm going to start back up here soon, but I'm running out of reserve chapters. Meaning that the next chapter may take two months instead of one. I'm ultimately not sure, but I apologize in advance if that is the case. And anyone wondering about the new story, you probably wouldn't know about it. It's a Japanese anime called Girls Und Panzer, and while I like it a lot, it's mostly unknown in America and Canada. But it involves tanks, in case your interested in that kind of thing. Look at my bio on my profile if your interested.**

 **Please Review, and as always, I'll see you next time.**


	11. Chapter 11 - Vacation

**Happy Canada Day everyone! Even more so, HAPPY 150 BIRTHDAY OF CANADA! Now that that's over with, I have three things I want to say. One is that I currently have little time, so I haven't been able to effectively proofread this chapter, so I apologize in advance for any mistakes. Secondly, I have finished the next chapter, so it SHOULD be out by the end of the month. Finally, I am no longer going to leave responses to reviews that are simply saying they like my work. However, just because I'm not leaving a response, don't think I don't appreciate your review immensely. So thank you to all who say you like my work.**

 **Also, one other thing. It's mostly fluff in this one. Sorry if you don't like it. Also, there is a scene here that's rather... 'Steamy.' Just saying this chapter might be rated T more then my others so far. Depending on how you view things.**

 **Okay, I lied. One more thing. In order for the suppresents to work, specific conditions must be made. otherwise, an infection is incurable.**

 **1\. The person must have aura, no exceptions.**

 **2\. It must only be a very small amount of Flood cells that have infected the individual.**

 **3\. The suppressants only manage to slow the Flood cells rate of reproduction. It does not actually attack and kill them. The aura does that.**

 **4\. Finally, any large infection of Flood cells - more then 6,000 - renders the Suppressants completely useless, as even with them, a persons aura simply wouldn't be able to keep up.**

 **Reviews**

 **Edboy4926: There is no chance I'm afraid. The only reason Johnson had the immunity to the Flood was because he was in close proximity to a crate of plasma grenades going off which gave him a medical condition that constantly scrambled the frequency of his spinal cords electrical signals. Just because Gemina has had the Flood infection, and is now in the very slow process of being cured, doesn't mean she'll be immune. So sorry.**

 **soberan 123: That really isn't a bad idea. However, plot-wise, I can think of it having no other purpose other then to supply the pockets of humanity against the Flood and Grimm in an alternate apocalyptic world. In my current world, perhaps the technology aboard would be useful. But the AI would not, as it would be less advanced then Hallow... However, the information it could bring would be interesting to Hallos. You've certainly given me a lot to think about.**

 **InfernoKnightmare: I admit the concept of the show did seem silly, but after watching it a bit I was hooked. And thank you. it Irked me that the Juggernaut I was cut from Halo 2, so I decided to bring it back in my story to give it life again and to spice up my plot. I'm also glad you enjoyed my attempt at humor, and I hope that my future chapters are to your liking.**

 **halo is bad ass: f you want the complete and total truth, it's simply because I forgot to add it in. However, I planed to add in a part where he explains it to Hallow in this chapter after you pointed it out to me, But I believe I haven't yet. And as I'm short on time now, I'll either have to add it in later, or in the next chapter. I'm not sure which. And no, Hallow isn't going to do that. However, your idea on Hallow making something to prevent other Maidens powers being stolen has given me a really great idea. It doesn't follow yours exactly, but it's similar in some ways. So thank you for that.**

 **Jack54311: It's explained in this chapter.**

 **Guest: I understand where you're coming from. I truly do. But I'm not going to sacrifice the reality of my story just to please you or to make previous achievements of the human race more meaningful. Besides, I'm still not fully sure if I'm even going to introduce the UNSC. But, in a plot where Remnant get's introduced to the rest of humanity, Aura unlocks would be strictly monitored and controlled.**

 **So your saying is, that in thousands of years and an unknown number of highly intelligent working together for a cure, wouldn't even find something to slightly delay a Flood infection? I don't find that to be believable, and I find it very possible. However, it may please you to know that the Flood is going to become much more dangerous and as dangerous as they're supposed to be in the future.**

 **Guest: Really? His aura managed to slow the poison enough to make him last days. Meanwhile, Gemina only had hours. AURA DIDN'T STOP EITHER ONE! ONLY SLOWED!**

 **ZENxRaider23: You are the kind of reviewer I really love. You're the kind who doesn't just follow and favorite every story you like, which means when you actually do so it means so much more. And you're the kind who goes into depth about your reviews, leaving both your likes and dislikes in an attempt to help me improve in the future. In my opinion, you are the perfect kind of reviewer. So thank you. Now onto my responses.**

 **I dislike the idea of putting people up on pedestals. However, every once and a while, I think it's okay. Like those missions in games where you get a nearly invincible supersuit and demolish everything in your way. Those few times with brief moments of super cool destructive moments just every now and then are okay to have in my opinion.**

 **Thank you very much. Coming from someone like you, with a story like yours, that truly does mean a lot.**

 **Yeah. More to the point though, if infected with some foreign body (Like poison or Flood) it only slows the infestation. It doesn't cure it completely.**

 **Gemina is a play on words for Gemini twins, since her semblance allows her to make a copy of herself. Azure is self-explanatory. John was after the John in the story of Christ, and was admittedly a place holder name, but after using it with Generatedname for a while, the name stuck. And unfortunately Riley is just a name I came up with to make the team name work. I wasn't worrying too much about the names at the time of beginning my story unfortunately. Oh well, too late to change it now.**

 **Actually they were are left overs from the great Flood war. Species of humans and Forerunner (Which look similar to humans) that were placed in the facility research cell. I originally meant to put in a part explaining this, but I forgot to.**

 **I admit I may not have thought things through enough with the suppressants and the Flood super cells. I suppose I haven't played the Flood right, or as they should be. As the mass murdering killing machines we all know and love. However, as I stated, 4 things must be met in order for the suppressants to be even slightly useful. A person must have aura, the amount of cells must be small, and it must be applied quickly. As I said to another person, the suppressants were the culmination of many monitors working together to find a cure for the Flood. They talked with one another, shared research and data, and are super advanced AI's capable of processing enormous amounts of data instantaneously. So I don't think it's unlikely that they would've developed something. And then aura, as I said, was a secret the Forerunners couldn't unlock, and it's effects on forgin objects in the body is very limited.**

 **xXgabeXx: No.**

 **Guest: Not necessarily. Who's to say the soul would act as the brain? Why couldn't they be separate? Be belief is that the Flood, despite having absorbed so many people, simply don't have souls. But I promise I will be having the Flood be much more dangerous. I've watched a lot more videos and read a lot more pages since we last spoke, and am confident I now have a firm grasp on how I should portray the Flood. And finally, AURAS ARE STAYING. THAT IS FINAL. NOW CEASE AND DESIST.**

* * *

Remnants Reclamation

* * *

"Ho-ly shit." Yang said in awe when she saw Azures house. It really was a mansion. It had to have been at least a quarter the size of Beacon. It's outside was white and looked relatively fancy.

"This is almost as nice as the Schnee Mansion." Weiss voiced her thoughts.

"Almost?" Ruby looked to her and asked.

"The Schnee Mansion is bigger."

"Oh."

"Hey! How about a little help?" John asked. The girls had walked out of the Bullhead empty handed, leaving the four males to carry all the luggage. Their hands were filled with the girls luggage and their own, even having to resort to putting some on their backs.

Gemina smirked. "Nah. You guys got this." She said with a wave of her hand before walking to the door of the mansion with the other girls.

"They will never find her body. Never." John heard Azure mumble, causing him to smirk. Gemina could walk on her own now, she just couldn't be very active, lest she would get exhausted and have to rest.

"Well, what are we waiting for!? Let's check this place out!" Yang yelled as she walked up to the large doors.

John and the boys followed behind them, then dropped the luggage at the door and stretched their aching backs.

Yang tried to open the door, but found it locked. "It's locked. Hey Azure, have you got the key?" She asked.

"You don't need one. It's opened by the keypad. Code's 73192." He replied and pointed out a keypad beside the door.

"Oh." Yang typed it in and the door unlocked. She opened it and everyone stepped inside.

The first thing everyone noticed was that it was pitch black inside the large building, and they couldn't see a single thing. "It's really dark in here." Pyrrha read his mind.

"Maybe for you. I'll turn them on." Riley replied and flipped on a light switch that no one but her and Blake could see with their night vision.

The very moment Riley turned the lights on, the first thing everyone saw was two panels on the roof retract, and two large double machine gun turrets emerge. "INTRUDERS DETECTED." They said in a deep robotic voice and highlighted them all with red light.

"Turn them back off! Turn them back off!" Ruby shrieked.

Azure stepped forward in front of them all. "Command: Initiate scan."

The light highlighting them momentarily turned blue, and after a few seconds turned green. "IDENTITY CONFIRMED. WELCOME BACK AZURE PEACOCK." The turrets retreated back into the roof and the panels closed under them, making it look like they had never even been there.

Everyone stared at Azure, but he only shrugged. "What? You seriously thought that a big empty mansion like this wouldn't have some sort of security system? Those turrets are all over the estate. They're the only thing that's stopped robbers from emptying this place."

"I suppose we should have thought of that." Weiss said and looked at the ground, almost sheepishly.

"Eh. Don't worry about it."

"What if they deploy later when you're not around?" John asked, not eager to be turned into swiz cheese. Especially since his aura hadn't started regenerating yet.

"When they scanned us they added your identity to the list of people allowed here. They shouldn't deploy on you now." Azure explained.

"Well that's good." Gemina said and looked around. "You know, this place kind of looks like a haunted mansion."

Everyone looked around and saw what she meant. The entrance room was covered with dust, and there were cobwebs covering the chandeliers and railings on the staircase. The entrance room was simple for a mansion. There was a staircase up to the second floor a couple meters in front of the door. There were rooms to the left and right. One looked like a living room, while the other looked like a dining room.

"Well what do you expect? I haven't been here in over ten years. But moving on. First things first we need to decide sleeping arrangements. We have a couple of guest rooms but some people will need to bunk up." Azure said.

"Me and Rubes can share a bed. It wouldn't be the first time." Yang said.

"Ooh! Ooh! Me and Renny can sleep together. But, you know. Not together-together." Nora said and Ren shrugged.

"Riley and I can use the same bed as well." Gemina said.

"Alright. So the number of guest beds, minus the bunk ups..." Azure counted his fingers. "Okay! We should be good to go. Everyone grab your own stuff and I'll take you to your rooms. You can unpack and then maybe we can go to the pool." Everyone agreed and grabbed their luggage and followed Azure upstairs. Ruby and Yang ended up in one room, Blake and Weiss got another. Pyrrha, Jaune, Nora and Ren were all able to stay in the same room. Gemina and Riley also got a room together. Azure had his own personal room, and so John got to have a room all to himself.

John stepped inside and looked around. The room was fairly large. It had a double bed with blue sheets on it, there was a small couch and a plasma screen TV, a closet, and a bathroom. There was also a window that had a view of the mansions huge backyard.

He stumbled as Aries ran past his legs and jumped up on the bed, where the Crawler promptly curled up and went to sleep. John just shook his head and smiled.

Ever since the the aura booster ran out, his aura hadn't manifested itself. It couldn't block damage, heal him, or enhance his body. But, it wasn't gone. He still had it, and he could still use it to a limited degree, as evidenced by Aries existence. So while it couldn't act physically, it could still be used to summon Promethean, it was just much more difficult. Before he used the aura booster, summoning a Promethean was like a river sweeping a small pebble down its torrent. But now, it was like trying to move a boulder.

John shook his head and cleared is thoughts. He then tossed his bag on the bed beside where Aries was sleeping and started unpacking.

* * *

After they had all gotten unpacked, everyone unanimously decided they did want to go swimming. So as everyone was changing into their swimsuits, John was doing the same.

After he had changed into a pair of swim shorts he took a look at himself in the mirror. His black hair was getting quite long. He would need a haircut soon. He noticed that his orange eyes glowed slightly, an after effect of the aura booster most likely. He unwrapped the bandages around his shoulder and took a look at the wound. It was still an ugly black, and the skin around it was red. But it was healing, so that was a plus.

He re-wrapped it while wondering if his wound would prevent him from swimming. But he decided that as long as he was careful with his right shoulder and arm he should be okay. A little water never hurt anyone.

He walked over to his door, and just as he was about to open it, he felt a throbbing pain in his chest. He let go of the door knob and put a hand to his chest. It felt like a thousand hot little needles being stabbed into his chest. He grimaced as the pain got worse, and suddenly remembered it as one of the side effects to the aura booster. Extremely painful chest pains. _"_ _How accurate."_ He thought dryly.

Just as the thought crossed his mind, a stab of pain sent him to his knees, grabbing his chest in pain. He struggled to keep quiet, but as another flare entered is head he let out a groan of pain and fell onto his back. The pain eventually reached a point that he was biting his lip so hard that he drew blood, just to stop himself from screaming.

After what fell like hours, but he knew was only five minutes after looking at the clock beside his bed, the pain gradually began to subside.

He laid there on the floor for a few more minutes, trying to slow his racing heart. He noticed Aries had woken up and come to his side, where he was nuzzling his head and releasing worried croons.

He only got up when he heard someone knocking on the door. He walked over and tried to hide all evidence of his episode from his face. But as he opened the door, and got a nose bleed. Though he wasn't sure if it was an effect of the aura booster, or because of the sight before him.

There was Ruby, standing in front of him with a red and black bikini and a matching top. Her bathing suit showed much of her pale skin, including her well toned legs. Ruby was blushing slightly and had a look of embarrassment on her face. "So? How do I look?" She asked without meeting his gaze.

John quickly wiped the blood from his nose before she noticed and weighed his options. Instead of saying the first thing that came to his mind, he said, "You look good."

She smiled. "Thanks." She said shyly. Her eyes shifted to his shoulder and she lost her smile. "Are you going to be able to swim with that?" She asked worryingly.

John shrugged. "I should be fine as long as I take it easy." He said.

She grabbed his hand. "Well, come on then! You and I are the only ones not at the pool! You take too long." She said and enthusiastically began pulling him along.

"Sorry." He apologized.

"What happened? You get stuck in your swimming trunks?" She asked with a teasing smirk.

"You could say that." He said, trying to dismiss the subject. There was nothing that could be done, so the less she knew about him getting the side effects the better. He didn't want her to worry.

She led him out the back door and into the scorching sun. They walked down some stone steps, at the bottom of which was a huge pool. It had to have been the same size as a public pool. John absently noticed that there were chairs and blow up toys all along the side. He whistled. "Big pool."

"That's what I said." Ruby replied. They walked down and John saw that almost everyone was in the pool. The only ones who weren't were Weiss, Blake, Gemina, and Riley. Weiss and Gemina were tanning, Riley was flipping through a magazine, and Blake was reading one of the many books she had brought with her. He knew she had brought a lot, he was the one who had carried her bag after all.

As he looked around, and had to force his eyes away from Yang, who's bikini revealed much of her large 'assets'. Instead he looked at Azure and said, "Damn Azure. This pool is huge."

The blue haired teen simply shrugged. "What can I say? My parents had a thing for the expensive stuff."

"I still find it funny how you can talk about your parents so openly."

"Well, I didn't know them all that well. So that's probably the main reason."

"I suppose-" John felt someone push him into the pool and found himself with a mouthful of water instead of words. He swam to the surface and looked around. Everyone was laughing, but the guilty person was laughing the hardest.

"Sorry John! But I couldn't resist!" Ruby said holding her sides.

John gave her an evil smirk. "That's alright. Because now I don't feel bad about doing THIS!" He leaped up and grabbed Ruby's arm and pulled her into the water. Now it was Johns turn to laugh. That is until she came up and sprayed him with water from her mouth. "Oh, it is ON!"

The two of them began a splash fight, laughing like little kids. But when John tried to get Ruby, she dodged and he accidentally ended up splashing Yang. He saw, to his horror, that he got her hair wet.

He fearfully backed up when her eyes turned red. "you're going to regret that." She launched a huge wave of water at him. John ducked under the water to avoid it, even though he only got more wet as a result. When he came back up he noticed that Yang had splashed Nora, who was now looking at her while giggling evilly.

"This _may_ have been a bad idea." John said apprehensively.

Before long it had evolved into a splash war. It being Yang, Ruby, Pyrrha and Jaune VS Ren, Nora, Azure, and John. They would sometimes spray water up onto the side, much to the four non-swimmers dismay. Everyone was laughing and enjoying themselves. Even Yang, who's hair was now completely drenched. By the time it came to an end everyone was soaked and tired. But John wanted to get Ruby one more time for spitting water in his face. He dove and swam under the water before coming up between her legs so that she was sitting on his shoulders, causing her to squeal. He leaned back and dunked her under the water, falling under as well. He came back up and looked around for his girlfriend, only for him to feel her a second later when she latched onto his back. She wrapped her hands around his neck and said, "I won. Say it. Say I won."

He tried to get her off. But despite her small size, her grip was iron tight. Finally he gave up and said, "Alright, fine. You win."

She smirked. "And don't you forget it."

"Now can you get off me please?"

"Hmm..." She hummed thoughtfully. "Nope!" She said after a minute.

"Please?"

"Nope! You're too comfortable." She said and rested her wet head on his back.

"I'm so happy that I've spent my entire life training to become a huntsman just so I could be your personal pillow." John deadpanned.

She didn't answer as he got out of the water. He walked over to a chair and said, "Okay. Off you get."

"Nope!"

"Either you get off or I through you in the pool."

She pouted. "you're no fun." She said but got off his back.

He looked over to Azure, who was drying himself beside Riley. "Hey Azure! What else do you have around here?" He called out.

He looked over and said, "Lot's of stuff. A tennis court, a library, there's some four-wheeler's and dirt bikes and lots of land to run them on. There's a small gym, a gun range-"

"Ooh! Can we please go to the gun range!? Please!?" Ruby asked and gave John her best puppy dog eyes.

He snorted, amused. "If Azure says it's okay." John said and looked at Azure.

He shrugged. "Sure. Go ahead." He said.

"Yay!" Ruby yelled before grabbing John's arm and dragging him away with her semblance.

Unbeknownst to them, after they left Weiss shook her head. "They'll be married by the time we graduate Beacon, I swear." She said.

"Not if I have anything to say about it. I'll castrate him if he tries." Yang growled.

The remaining three boys couldn't help but shiver.

* * *

"Okay! Whoever shoots 100 targets first wins!" Ruby said. They had both gotten dressed in their usual clothes and retrieved their weapons, which they had brought with them. They got to the gun range and found that it was fairly advanced. It used holographic projectors to create the simulation of a building, and then it created targets that would move through the building and sometimes pop up at windows and doors.

"Sounds good to me." John replied.

They stepped up to their windows. John braced his weapon against his shoulder as Ruby pulled back the bolt of hers. She smiled at him playfully. "You ready to lose?"

He smiled back. "Maybe in your dreams." He said and tapped the screen beside him to begin the simulation.

The building formed and red targets immediately started showing up.

John fired on a target in the upstairs window, causing it to flicker and fade. He shot two more targets downstairs. He shot through the wall of the holographic building and destroyed a target that he knew was moving on the other side. He looked over to the right side of the building where Ruby was shooting. He shot a target she was aiming for just to annoy her. He got his desired results as she looked over with a scowl and said, "Hey!"

John smirked. "You gotta be faster." He said teasingly. He almost laughed as her face turned red in anger. He knew that she was very proud of the fact that she was the fastest person in Beacon. And she wouldn't take a comment about her being slow lying down.

John aimed for a target, only for Ruby to shoot it just as he pulled the trigger. She smirked right back at John. "You gotta be faster." She mocked.

The cylinder in his weapon ejected and John pulled another one out of his pocked and slammed it into the empty spot. John had talked Hallow earlier. John had asked if there was any way to increase the reload speed of his weapon. The monitor had said no, but it offered to give him some Binary Rifle rounds. John had accepted, allowing him to reload faster then the 6 seconds required for a new cylinder to form.

They continued for what felt like hours, occasionally exchanging playful banter. Eventually the score was John with 83 and Ruby with 89. John focused on a ground floor target, only for it to blur into two. He blinked, trying to clear his eyes. It didn't work, and he began to feel a pressure in his head. He lowered his sniper and shook his head.

The pain got worse and he stumbled. He put his hand out to stabilize himself and accidentally touched the panel to shut off the simulation.

He heard Ruby groan. "Why'd you do that!? I was about to win!" She looked over at him annoyed, only to stop when she saw him holding his head and stumbling. "John? Are you okay?" She asked with a look of concern.

"I think... I'm getting another... Side effect." He struggled to get out. All of a sudden a huge stab of pain shot into his skull. He dropped Atomizer and fell onto his back.

Ruby was immediately kneeled at his side in a flurry of rose petals. "John! Stay here! I'll go get the others!"

She stood up to go, but he quickly grabbed her arm before she could rush away. "No! Don't do that. They can't... Do anything. Just... Stay here. Please." He managed to say, though his voice was slightly distorted by the pain in his head.

She stopped for a moment before nodding hesitantly. He figured she still wanted to go and get the others, but she also probably knew that he had a point and there was nothing they could do. She kneeled back down and grabbed his hand comfortingly. He pressed his forehead against her knees as he felt another stab of pain, as if more physical contact with her would make the pain go away.

After a few minutes the pain started to fade. He leaned up and wiped the sweat from his forehead. Ruby hugged his side and asked, "Are you okay?"

He gazed into her worry filled silver eyes. "I'll be fine. Thank you." He said. He pulled her into a full hug. He pressed his forehead against hers and closed his eyes, letting them both just enjoy the contact.

After a few minutes he let her go and looked up at the board. "I guess I lost." John said when he saw the score. 83 to 95.

She frowned. "Well, that's not really your fault. We could always have a rematch?" She asked hopefully.

He smiled. "Sure. But let's do that another time. I'm not really feeling up to it anymore."

She stood up and held her hand out to John. He grabbed her hand and she helped him up. "Sooooo, what do we do now?"

"I dunno... Have you ever ridden a dirt bike? Or a four-wheeler?" John asked.

She shook her head. "The closest I've ever come to that is my sisters motorbike Bumblebee."

"Did you ever drive it?"

She shook her head.

John smiled. He had just so happened to take a dirt biking class when he was younger. And it had a little on four-wheeler's as well, plus they were relatively simple to use. "Well then today's your lucky day. you're gonna learn how to drive a dirt bike."

* * *

It was not her day to learn how to drive a dirt bike. It turned out Ruby's skill when it came to dirt bikes was absolutely abysmal.

"Okay. Maybe we should try the four-wheeler's?" John said. He looked at Ruby. She was wearing a red dirt bike helmet that covered her entire head that was currently facing the ground. Even though he couldn't see her face, he could tell she was disappointed.

"I didn't think it would be so hard. You and Yang make it seem so easy." He could hear the dejected tone in her voice.

"But it's not. It just takes practice. But I don't think we have enough dirt bikes right now to train you to perfection."

Her head sunk lower and mumbled, "I still don't know how I broke the wheels on that one." John didn't either.

"So should we try the four-wheeler's? John asked.

She shook her head. "I don't really feel like it."

John frowned within the black helmet he found in the garage. He tried to think of a way to cheer her up.

Like flipping on a light, he had it. He walked over to a large red four-wheeler and pressed the ignition button. Ruby heard the four-wheeler start and looked up. "What are you doing?"

He looked at her through the helmets open front. "Taking you for a ride. Hop on."

She gained an uncertain look. "I don't know. What if I mess something up?"

"You'll be riding behind me. I very much doubt you can mess something up. Now come on. We're burning daylight." John said, referring to the fact that the sun was starting to set.

She sighed but relented and got on. "Where are we going anyways?"

John looked back and smirked. "You like going fast, don't you?"

Without warning, he gunned the gas. The four-wheeler lurched and Ruby grabbed onto John to avoid falling off.

John drove around the side of the garage and into the abandoned fields that had once grown hundreds of crops. There was something that always made him feel exhilarated whenever he was on a dirt bike or a four-wheeler. Something about the wind rushing past him always got his adrenaline going. Apparently Ruby thought the same thing, as she had swapped out her depressed sulking for whooping in joy as they shot across the fields.

* * *

The sun was almost completely over the horizon by the time they came back.

John parked the four-wheeler back where he got it and shut it off. Ruby jumped off and and took off her helmet. Her smile could have lit up the room. "That was so much fun! We should totally do that again some time." She said, the younger girl practically vibrating with glee.

John smiled back. "Sure. I'd like that." John looked out at the sunset. "You know, it's not that late. Want to see if we can squeeze in a movie?" He asked.

"Sure." She replied.

They walked inside and found their teammates scattered around the living room. Yang, Weiss, Azure, and Riley were playing Remnant: The Game on the table while Ren, Nora, Jaune, and Pyrrha were watching TV. "Well well, if it isn't the lovebirds. How's your day been?" Azure stopped and asked when he saw them.

"Its been good. Shot some targets, rode around for a bit. Ruby broke one of your dirt bikes by the way." John replied.

"She _broke_ a dirt bike? How'd she do that?" Yang asked with wide eyes.

"I have no clue, and neither does she. Isn't that right Ruby?" John looked over at a sheepish looking Ruby.

She let out an embarrassed laugh and played with the hem of her skirt. "Yeah. Sorry."

Azure shrugged. "Don't worry about it. I'll get someone to fix it. No harm done."

"No harm except for the fact that the dirt bike is missing its wheels." John said, furthering Ruby's embarrassed blush.

"Damn. Glad I never let her use my bike. It probably would have ended up in pieces." Ruby childishly stuck her tongue out at her older sister, who retaliated right back the same way.

Ignoring the sibling rivalry, John asked, "Where's everyone else?"

"Gemina is sleeping, I don't know where Blake is." Riley said.

"She's in the library." Weiss cut in.

"Oh. Well, me and Ruby are gonna go and watch a movie on the TV in my room, since this one is taken." He said motioning to the TV team JPNR was using.

"Have fun." Azure said and went back to the game. As they walked away, he heard Azure yelling at Yang in the back ground. He yelled something about cheating. But Azure had always been a sore loser.

They walked into Johns room and he closed the door, making sure not to slam it so he didn't wake Gemina. Temporarily weak or not, she could be almost as scary as Yang if she tried.

"So, any idea on what we should watch?" John asked.

"I picked the last one. You pick this one." Ruby said.

"Alright. Lets see what we got." John said and searched through the stack of movies. He eventually came across one that seemed interesting. He inserted the disk and sat down on the couch. Ruby sat down and snuggled into his side and John. They watched as the title for the movie came up. Sharknado.

WORST. IDEA. _EVER._

The movie was somehow worse in all departments that a movie could have then Ruby was at dirt biking. They didn't even make it halfway though the movie when John shut it off. He rubbed his eyes and stood up. "Okay. From now on, you pick the movies." He said and sat on his bed.

She nodded. "Yeah. Looks like we found something you're not so good at. Movie choosing." Ruby agreed. She got up and stretched. She walked over and sat beside John. "So now what? It'll be really late if we start another movie now, but I don't want to go to bed yet. So now what should we do." She asked and looked into John's eyes.

John thought for a few moments before saying, "I don't know. We could just talk I guess."

She tilted her head. "What about?"

"Hmm. Well, lately, I've noticed you acting strange. Like you're upset. Is there anything wrong?" He asked.

She jumped slightly, then smiled. "What? No, of course not. I'm fine!" She said and held up her thumbs.

He narrowed his eyes and crossed his arms. "You've only been fine when we're doing something fun. Whenever we aren't, you've been all mopey and upset. Like someone just kicked your new puppy. So, what's wrong?"

She held up the act for about five more seconds before slumping. "Why can't I ever hide anything from you?" She grumbled.

He snorted in amusement. "That's because you're as easy to read as a billboard. Now, tell me what's wrong."

She looked down at her feet. "It's nothing important, really. I'll be okay."

He nudged her further. "Come on Ruby. Please tell me."

But her head only lowered further. "I... Don't want you to think of me as..." She trailed off.

He grabbed her hand and intertwined their fingers. "Ruby. I will only ever think of you as you. Never anything less."

"But-"

He gently grabbed her chin and lifted her face to look at his, and he kissed her passionately on the lips. "Ruby. You can trust me. You can always trust me."

Her silver eyes brimmed with water. Her mouth opened, but no sound came out. She then let her head fall to his shoulder, and he gently embraced her and combed his hand through her hair, patiently waiting for her to speak.

Eventually, she finally spoke. "When we were in the train tunnels, back at Mountain Glenn, we had to fight the White Fang on top of the train. We didn't want to hurt them, so we just tried to disable them. We even ended up kicking a few off the train. But... After the train cars detached and the bombs exploded, Grimm emerged from the caves the bombs opened... Those people I kicked off were overran by the Grimm... They died because of me."

Oh. So that's what was wrong. He pondered on a response. It was clearly a serious matter that had been affecting her mentally for several days. After two minutes, he chose his response.

"I'm not innocent either Ruby. I've killed people as well." He felt her body flinch against his, but she didn't pull away, so he continued. "The first one was an accident. I shot a man in a leg with the intention of injuring him, but Atomizer completely disintegrated him. And then there was another man, Defalco. He threatened to hurt everyone I knew. Including you. I couldn't let that happen, so I shot him. That was on purpose. I meant to do it, and I don't regret it. But you didn't mean to get those people killed. It was just an unfortunate consequence of the fight. Nothing has changed, and I certainly don't think any less of you." He finished.

She didn't say anything. Nor did she move. It unsettled him to be honest. But eventually, she finally leaned back and looked him in the eyes. There was no fear, no shock, or sadness in her face. Only a look of comfort, and content. The water in her eyes had dried up.

"John, I... I don't even know what to say... Just... Thank you. Thank you for always being there for me. I don't think of you any different either. You did what you thought you had to do. I won't lie, I don't like the thought of you doing something like that. But I trust you, and your decisions." She said with a serious tone he rarely heard her speak in.

He smiled at her, and she smiled in return. Then, he leaned in and kissed her. Her eyes briefly slightly widened in surprise at the sudden contact, before closing them as she melted into the kiss. One kiss turned into two. Then three. And before they even realized what they were doing, Ruby had crawled onto his lap and straddled him, one of her legs on either side of him.

As time progressed, their kissing became more passionate. He pressed closer, not wanting to lose the contact between them as the kiss deepened, both of them growing bolder and bolder as time ticked forwards. Ruby's hands were now running through his hair, gently tugging him closer as John's hands ran along her toned, stocking covered legs. He could feel her strong muscles beneath the thin fabric, results from the periodic use of her semblance. He briefly squeezed them before moving up beneath the skirt to her thighs and rubbing them, causing a moan. Neither one knew what they were doing, and so were just relying on pure instinct. But it felt good.

John's tongue brushed against her teeth, silently asking for entrance. She opened her mouth and his tongue snaked its way inside her mouth, making her squeak into his mouth in pleasure. The two lovers tongues swirled around each other as they battled for dominance. This went on for a couple of minutes, the two students tongues battled and curled around each other like snakes, when finally, their cramped lip-lock broke apart so they could breath. Their mouths stayed open panting and their tongues remained hanging out, a trail of saliva connecting between them.

They caught their breath for a few more seconds before they went back to their session full force. He could feel himself being fueled by a passion he'd never felt before as they progressed further, Ruby responding in the same way. They were both breathing heavily now, soft pants echoing through the air in the small room, but that didn't stop them from continuing.

Ruby leaned on him, causing him to fall back on the bed with Ruby on top. But their lips never separated. They stayed connected even as their lungs gasped for air. He moved his hands from her thighs up to her hips, where he held them as Ruby laid down on top of him.

Seeing an opportunity, he swiftly rolled them over so that he was on top. Ruby let out a squeak of surprise at the sudden action, but only held a look of surprise briefly before they both quickly went back to their activity. They continued to feed their ravenous hunger, lips refusing to part for more then a second. John placed his hands beside her head so he didn't crush the smaller girl, while she kept her hands tangled in his hair.

John migrated downwards, placing kisses on her cheek, jawbone, before reaching her neck. He dove in and started licking and kissing her neck fiercely, causing the smaller girls breath to hitch and eliciting a groan.

John lightly nipped her neck before biting and sucking on her pulse, causing the red reaper to arch her back and let out a cry. She half moaned half breathed his name before his mouth went back to hers, giving their lungs no respite. Not that either one wanted to anyways.

John ran a hand down her side before reaching the hem of her shirt, causing her to let out a soft gasp of air as his fingers ventured hesitantly underneath. She pulled John closer and released a small moan into his mouth. To John it was a signal to continue. He lifted her shirt and slid his hand against her soft stomach, brushing past her navel. She let out a noise that was a mix of both a gasp and a whine.

John stopped and took a moment to collect his muddled thoughts and backed away, looking at his lover. Ruby's face was red and flustered. Her clothes and hair were disheveled, and she was panting heavily. She had a bead of saliva on her bottom lip, and he had to resist the urge to lick it off.

He couldn't help but feel proud of the fact that he could make Ruby, the girl he cared for so much and the one who could decapitate a Nevermore, wither beneath him and feel so good.

She noticed that he had stopped and was just staring at her, and she panted, "Wh-what's wrong?"

He paused momentarily, then said, "You are undoubtedly, the most beautiful thing I have ever seen in my entire life."

Her flushed face deepened and she turned her head to the side. She opened her mouth, but before she could speak, they both heard a loud thump outside the room. They both looked at each other, then John got off Ruby and walked to the door.

He grabbed the door handle and yanked it open, revealing Yang, Weiss, Azure, Jaune, Pyrrha, and Nora. They all appeared to be restraining Yang, who looked ready for a fight. They all gave sheepish smiles at being caught. Again.

He wasn't sure what the situation was, or why they were there. But he didn't care. They had, again, listened in on him and Ruby.

He noticed the absence of the Bat Faunus and the green-clad ninja, so he assumed that they had learned their lesson from last time and weren't eager to repeat it. One would think that the others would follow that example.

Johns eyes glowed. "You just don't learn, do you?" He reached inside himself and, with some difficulty, summoned Strategos in all his white and orange glory. He motioned to the Knight. "Everyone, meet Strategos." He motioned to the horrified looking eavesdroppers. "Strategos, meet target practice. Just try not to hurt them _too_ bad."

The Knight fluttered the wings on its back in anticipation. **"No promises."** Strategos mentally replied gleefully as his weapon made a whiring sound.

The party of 6 took of running, Strategos following right behind with his incineration canon glowing.

John slammed the door and turned to his girlfriend, who was blushing madly with embarrassment as well as anger. Her head was turned to the side, eyes avoiding his own.

"I... I can't believe they... Listened in on us. I feel so humiliated." She said softly.

"Don't worry. I'm sure Strategos will give them what they deserve. But they've already kinda killed the mood."

She nodded, but still refused to look at him. "Yeah... I think I'm just gonna go to bed now. Goodnight." She walked towards him and gave him a kiss on the lips, before walking out the room before he could even say anything.

"Night Ruby." He called after her, then scratched his head. Thinking it was weird how abruptly she just left.

He shook his head, deciding to dismiss it. He got ready for the night and crawled into the covers of his bed, ignoring the muffled sounds of explosions and cries of pain echoing in the distance.

* * *

After John had woken up, he checked his scroll and saw, to his pleasant surprise, that his aura was finally starting to regenerate.

He got out of bed and got dressed, and then he went downstairs to get some breakfast. They had brought some food with them since Azures house didn't have any. John walked into the kitchen and stopped. He brought his hand up to his hand to stop himself from laughing.

There, tied together upside down and hanging by a rope tied to the roof, was Weiss and Yang. They were both unconscious and covered in dirt and soot. And on their heads, respectively, were the words 'ICE BITCH' and 'BLONDE BIMBO' written in permanent marker.

 _"Strategos, what did you do?"_ John asked mentally, still having to keep his hand over his mouth so he didn't burst out laughing.

 **"Nothing harmful. I simply gave them a reason to leave you two alone the next time you wish for privacy."** Even though he couldn't see him, John could tell that the Knight was both amused and proud of its work. He didn't even want the headache of figuring out how the Knight had written the words on their heads without any actual hands.

John shook his head with a smile and walked over to the fridge. He opened it, only to find it completely empty and even missing a few shelves.

"... Wheres the food?" John asked.

 **"After I chased them out of the house last night, I went into their rooms and hid their weapons. When they came back in and realized they were gone, the one called Nora tried to arm everyone with the food in the fridge. It did not turn out well for them."**

John laughed. "Well, guess I'll grab something to eat later." He was still surprised by how human Strategos sometimes acted. Maybe it was because the Knight was reflecting off his personality.

John walked out the back door and down the steps to the pool. He had planned to go down there for the peace and quiet so he could make a phone call. He did not plan on finding Azure passed out on an inflatable raft in the pool wearing nothing but his underwear and a pair of sunglasses. "... Do I want to know?" John deadpanned.

 **"No."**

"Alright." John pulled out his Scroll and went straight to Hallow's contact. It didn't even ring once. "Hallow. I was wondering if you could do something for me..."

* * *

After John finished with his scroll call, he walked into the house. Absentmindedly commenting on seeing Nora tied to the giant Transmission dish on the roof. "Well, that's four. Where's the other two?"

 **"They'll show up."**

John shrugged dismissively and walked inside. He walked though the kitchen and found Ruby holding her stomach while rolling on the floor and laughing uncontrollably beside her two hanging teammates. John smiled. "I take it you like Strategos's handiwork?" John asked, which only made her laugh harder.

When she finally calmed down, she pulled out her scroll and took a picture of the hanging heiress and brawler. John asked what she did that for, to which she only smiled and said, "Blackmail."

John put his hand up to his chin. "Hmm. I should totally do that with Azure. Anyways, get dressed and get ready. We're going out today." He said secretively.

She tilted her head. "Where?" She asked curiously.

He smirked and said, "Can't tell you."

She pouted and gave him her best puppy dog eyes. "Please?"

The look she gave almost made him divulge the information, but he remained unforthcoming. "Nope. You'll just have to wait."

She groaned. "Fine. Let me just get some breakfast."

John stopped her as she made her way to the fridge. "Actually, there's no food left."

She blinked. "What? Why?"

"Them and the others tried to use the food as weapons after Strategos hid their weapons." John said and pointed a thumb back at the sleeping teens. "Don't worry. We can get some food when we get where we're going today."

"Alright." She shrugged and walked out of view.

"Alright. Only one thing left to do." And with that, John walked back to the pool to take a picture of his half naked idiot friend.

* * *

John was waiting at the bottom of the stairs for Ruby to finish changing. Even though she didn't know it, he had been planning the date ever since he woke up after the breach. He was sure he had created the perfect date for his weapon loving girlfriend.

"Alright. I'm ready to go." Ruby said as she came downstairs in her usual combat skirt and red cape.

"Perfect. I've left a note for our unconscious and still sleeping friends that we'll be gone for most of the day. Hold on." He pulled out his scroll and called Hallow. "Okay, we're ready."

 _"Understood. One moment."_ The yellow rings of the teleporter surrounded both of them, and they disappeared from the mansion.

* * *

They appeared within the familiar walls of Hallow's facility. He shook his head to rid himself of his dizziness. "Are you alright Ruby?"... "Ruby?"

John turned around and saw his girlfriend curled up on the ground holding her stomach, groaning. "Ohhh. My tummy." She moaned.

"Sorry. I forgot to tell you how much teleporting sucks the first time."

He sat beside her and combed her hair with his hands until she felt better. Once she did, she slowly got up with the assistance of John. She shook her head. "Where are we?" She asked groggily.

"We're in the facility that me and my team fought the Flood." As he said this, her eyes widened and she quickly pulled out Crescent Rose. "No no! Calm down. There aren't any Flood here. We're safe."

She sighed in relief and put her scythe away. She smiled sheepishly and said, "Sorry."

John just smiled. "Don't be. I should have phrased it differently."

She looked around at the long white hallway. "So why are we here?"

"For a surprise date of course. Follow me." He led her down the hallway and to the room that he knew about the most.

After a few minutes, they stopped at one of the many large doors in the hallway. "Here we are." John said and pressed the panel, opening the door to the experimental armory.

John could have swore her jaw hit the floor and her eyes widened to the size of dinner plates. He laughed and asked, "So I take it you like what you see?"

His only response was her disappearing in a blur of rose petals. He looked around and found her staring in awe at an easily recognizable weapon. "Wow! What is this!?"

John laughed. She was like a kid in a candy store. Then again, Ruby would probably act the same way in a candy store. "That, my beautiful rose, is an incineration canon. It does exactly what it says it does. It's capable of causing massive destruction and mayhem with a single shot."

"Cooool." She awed.

"You want to test it out?"

Her eyes turned hopeful. "Can I!?"

He shrugged. "I don't see any reason why not. I basically own all these things."

She eagerly pulled the canon off the wall, only to fall to the ground under its weight.

"Ruby! Are you alright?" He grabbed the incineration canon and pulled it off her and helped her to her feet.

"Yeah. I'm fine." She said as she shot up. "It just weighed more then I thought, that's all."

"Okay. Here, try again." He said and carefully handed her the large weapon. She slightly struggled under the weight, but quickly compensated and held it steady.

"Alright. The targeting range is over here." John led her across the hall to the door on the other side. Inside the door was a long room with the same general design as the one at Azures house. There were some stands close to the front with holographic panels on them. John walked up to one of the panels, said, "Let's see what this does, and pressed it.

A moment later, dozens of small sentinel drones and bipedal metal robots came out of doors hidden in the walls and spread around the room. The words, 'AWAITING TARGET' appeared on the panel John touched. He looked at Ruby and said, "Alright. You ready?"

She smiled and stepped up. She aimed the incineration cannon at one of the human-like robots and squeezed the trigger. The orb of red death shot out and towards the robot. It impacted and completely obliterated the unfortunate machine, and the few ones around it.

Meanwhile, the recoil was so great and unexpected that it sent Ruby back onto her butt. John chuckled and said, "Good shot Ruby. Though you need to work on your balance."

She scowled. But before she could say anything her stomach spoke up first. She replaced her scowl for a blush. "Hehe, sorry. I still haven't eaten."

John smiled. "That's alright. In fact, I have a solution." He pulled out his scroll and called Hallow. "Hallow. Please bring the food I asked for." A moment later, a metal table appeared with Hallow above it.

 _"Here you are Reclaimer."_ Hallow said. On the table was two bowls of food. Both containing Ruby's favorite foods: Strawberries and cookies.

He looked over and saw Ruby was salivating. "So? Are you pleased?"

His response was a semblance powered tackle hug, followed by a string of 'thank yous.'

He chuckled. "Glad to see you like it."

She pulled back. "I love it! How'd you know cookies and strawberries were my favorite foods?"

"I talked to Blake and Weiss. Your sister wasn't very willing to tell me anything." John said.

"Well, still thank you." She leaned up and gave him a peck on the lips.

"you're welcome. Oh yeah, I haven't formally introduced you two. Ruby, this is Hallow. Hallow, this is my girlfriend Ruby."

She waved happily. "Hi!"

 _"Greetings."_

"Oh! Hallow, do you have the other thing I asked for?" John asked the AI.

The monitor nodded. _"Yes. It is in the armory."_

"Alright. Wait here Ruby. I'll be right back." John said and left the room.

While he was gone, Hallow floated over to Ruby, who was happily munching on some strawberries. _"Reclaimer. May I request something?"_

Ruby swallowed the strawberry and turned to the monitor. "Sure. What's up?" She asked happily.

 _"I would like you to terminate your relationship with John."_ The monitor said simply.

Her face quickly lost all its cheer and was instead replaced by shock. "What!? Why!?"

 _"He clearly cares a great deal about you, and I have no doubt that he would give his life for you. But it is because of the possibility of that happening, I would then need to find another Reclaimer worthy of obtaining the Key. It was fortunate that I found the ideal Reclaimer the first time, and it is unlikely I would be able to find another within a short period of time."_

She glared at the AI angrily. "He's not going to die. I won't let him." She said determinedly.

 _"Irrelevant. At least consider the possibility. It is very likely he would take an attack meant for you, and as a result he could at the very least become injured. Please, think about it."_ Hallow finished and floated away.

Not a minute later John came in with a binary rifle different from atomizer in his hands. Where his had orange stripes on it, the one he held had red stripes. It was also more bulky.

He noticed the look on her face and commented. "What's wrong?"

She shook her head and forced a small smile. "Nothing. What's that?" She asked, pointing at the binary rifle in his hands.

He smiled. "My surprise to you." He said and pressed a button on the side. The metal plates started shifting and changing. And after a few seconds, he held in his hand a black and red stripped replica of Crescent Rose's scythe form. It looked just like it, except it was missing the slide back bolt that her's normally had.

Ruby completely forgot about Hallow and instead focused on the weapon in John's hand. "What is that!?"

"It's your weapon, but Forerunner-ized. I had Hallow increase the power of its every shot, therefore increasing the recoil, since that's your fighting style. But, as a result of its stronger hit, it's unable to have a blade constantly coated in hard light like mine, only temporarily and it's activated by pressing the button next to the trigger. That, and it's severely lacking in armor penetration. It also has the compact form that yours usually does." John explained all the details of Ruby's Forerunner sniper-scythe. He handed it over to her, but she just continued to stand there with a look of awe on her face.

"you're giving this to me?" She asked.

"Of course I am. But, it'll need to stay here at the facility. Hallow doesn't want other people having his weapons out in public. But that's not all. Hallow, please play the music." A moment later, the room was filled with the song "Red Like Roses."

Ruby's jaw dropped. "This is my favorite song! How'd you know!?" Ruby asked.

"Your teammates also said you liked this song."

She rushed up and hugged him. "you're the BEST boyfriend _EVER_!" She squealed. Ruby grabbed the replica of Crescent Rose and took it out to the room with all the human-like robots. The bots got into a ready position to fight. And after a few moments, they rushed at her.

He watched as she activated her hardlight blade and swung at the first one, cutting it in half. She swung downwards and impaled another one into the ground and pulled the trigger. A bright and fast bolt of hardlight shot out of the end of the scythe and vaporized bots that ran into the front of the scythe. She pulled her blade out of the ground, but one of the bots grabbed the staff and attempted to wrestle it away from her. She smirked and aimed it at the ground and fired, propelling her into the sky and ripping the arms off the bot in the process. She twirled in the air, firing at the bots as she flew. She aimed her scythe towards the roof and pulled the trigger, propelling herself towards the ground and the last bot. She flipped midair and planted her boots firmly on the bots head, crushing it.

John stepped over the crumpled remains of one of the bots as he walked over to her. "So? Do you like it?" He asked.

She turned to him and beamed. "I love it! But it doesn't have as much recoil as Crescent Rose does." She commented.

"Well it can't be perfect. So... What are you going to name it?"

She looked at her weapon with a thoughtful expression. "I think I'll name it... Sub Rosa. Since it has to stay a secret, and it sound close to rose." She said proudly.

He nodded fondly. "Good name."

Suddenly, her smile was replaced by a frown, causing him to frown in turn. "What's wrong?" He asked.

She looked down at the ground. "Well... It's just... You've done so much for me. You cheer me up when I'm upset, you give me advice, you set up these dates, and now you've given me this." She motioned to the newly named Ignited Rosa. "I can't hep but feel selfish. You've done so much for me, but I haven't done anything for you." She said sadly.

He put his hand under her chin and tilted her head back so she was looking at him. "Ruby. You've done more for me then you think. You've helped me get through the side effects of the aura booster. You make me happy just by being around me. _That_ , is more then enough." He leaned in and gave her a quick kiss.

Despite what he said, she didn't look convinced. "But-but-but I still feel like I need to do something." She stuttered. Her frown turned into a smile. _"_ Oh, wait! I know! Come to patch with me and Yang!"

John's eyes widened. "What?"

"Yeah! It'll be perfect! You can see my house, meet my dad, and we can spend the rest of the break together. It's perfect! What do you think?" Se asked enthusiastically.

"Well... I don't know. I guess it would be fun. As long as your sister and dad agreed to it."

"YAY!" She yelled and hugged him, causing him to smile.

"Just a question though, is your dad anything like Yang?" John asked, worry laced in his voice.

She let go of him and averted his gaze. "Uuummm..." Ruby didn't answer, but she didn't need to.

"Great. Just perfect." John groaned.

Ruby giggled. "Don't worry. I'll protect you. So now can we go and look at the rest of those weapons?" She asked eagerly, causing John to chuckle.

"Sure thing little rose." He said and walked back to the armory with Ruby.

* * *

 **1 day later.**

The Bullhead arrived to take John, Ruby, and Yang to Patch.

Everyone else was going to stay at Azures house for the rest of the vacation, and then they would all meet back up before the Vytal Tournament. Everyone had also verbally declared that they would never eavesdrop on John and Ruby ever again. Apparently the events of that night having been burned into their minds. The odd thing was though, no one knew what had happened between Pyrrha and Jaune. But every time the two made eye contact they blushed heavily and averted their gaze. They refused to speak of what happened to them, and whenever John asked Strategos, the Knight simply said, " **You probably don't want to know."** So he opted for just forgetting about it.

"About time it got here." Yang said.

John gave her a look. "We weren't even waiting that long." He said.

"Well it was long enough."

"Yang, you have the worst patience ever."

"Watch it. You don't want me to tenderize you before dad gets to pummeling you." Yang said with a small glare.

"That's not going to happen." Ruby reassured John by grabbing his hand.

"I'm betting 20 lien that it will." Yang grabbed her luggage and walked onto the Bullhead.

"Her words just fill me with confidence." John said sarcastically. Ruby gave him a look of pity and squeezed his hand once more before walking onto the Bullhead.

John sighed and looked down at Aries. "You'll protect me, won't you?" The crawler gave what John thought was a shrug and followed Ruby. "... Man's best friend my ass." He muttered. He picked up his luggage and walked onto the Bullhead with everyone else.

* * *

 _"Alright. Here's your stop."_ The pilots voice came on over the intercom. They were being dropped off at a small town not far from their house.

"Look! There's dad!" Ruby said and disappeared. He looked around and saw her hugging a tall, buff man with short blond hair and blue eyes. A moment later Yang joined in the family reunion.

John walked over and waited for them to finish.

"Haha! How's my girls?" Their dad asked.

"We're doing great! How about you old man? Bones haven't given out on you yet?" Yang asked with a sly smile.

"How many times do I have to ask you not to do that?" He asked sounding exasperated.

"I don't know. But as long as it's funny, I'm gonna keep on doing it." She said.

He shifted his focus to the younger girl wrapped around his stomach. "And how about you Rubes? You doing well in Beacon I hope."

She backed away. "Yep!" She said, popping the P. "Things are going amazing!"

He noticed John and narrowed his eyes. "Who's that?"

When Ruby saw who he was talking about she walked over to John and took his hand in hers. "John, this is my dad Taiyang. Dad, this is my boyfriend John. He's going to be staying with us for the next few days."

Taiyangs eyes narrowed even further. "Ruby Rose! You are too young to have a boyfriend!" He yelled out.

"Dad, I'm fifteen! John's only two years older then me! I'm allowed to have a boyfriend and I pick John!" She said determinedly, with what was undeniably the most adorable pout John had ever seen.

"You have NO experience with boys!"

"That's because you and Yang chase them all off! When will you let me have a boyfriend!?"

"you're not allowed to have a boyfriend until I'm dead!"

"DAD!" Yang cut in. He looked at his eldest daughter. "Would you calm down? I was initially against it to, but John's really not a bad guy. And he hasn't doen anything indecent to Ruby... As far as I know. Give him a chance."

John was shocked that Yang was actually trying to help him, and his face clearly expressed that. Taiyang's face also expressed the shock that he felt. It was no surprise, since he probable never expected Yang to actually allow her sister to date someone.

"And if you decide later that you hate him, _then_ kick his ass."

 _"Ah, there it is."_ John deadpanned mentally.

Taiyang slowly turned to him. He leaned in so close that John could feel his breath on his skin. "If you do ANYTHING to hurt her, I will rip off your arms and beat you to death with them. Do you understand me?" John nodded furiously.

Seemingly satisfied, he backed away and grabbed his daughters luggage. "Alright. Let's go home." He said and walked towards a black car parked a few meters away.

John sighed in relief. "Well, that could have gone better."

"Eh. At least he didn't get out his hammer. Then you would have been in trouble." Yang said before following her dad.

John turned to Ruby with a confused look on his face. "Hammer?"

"She nodded. "Yeah. Dad's a hunter and his weapon is a big metal hammer infused with ice dust."

"... I'm not sure if I should feel more or less safe."

She slapped his arm playfully. "Oh, don't worry. You'll be fine. He'll warm up to you." She said without a hint of doubt in her voice.

"Or he'll cool me down. I don't like the thought of being hit with an ice hammer. And you." John looked down at Aries, who stared back unblinking. "Aren't you supposed to protect me?" The Crawler did nothing more then click it's mandibles together. John sighed and said, "Whatever. Let's just go." Ruby nodded and pulled him towards the car, Aries following behind.

"Just look on the bright side." She said.

"What bright side?"

She shrugged. "Yang just made herself lose 20 lien."

"There'll still be plenty of opportunities in the future!" Yang yelled, causing John to sigh.

"Why do I feel like I wont be leaving this island alive?"

* * *

John was very thankful when they got out of the car. It had been mostly quiet but also very akward. Yang was in the front with her feet up on the dashboard, but that wasn't what made it akward. What did was that Ruby's dad had kept sending glares back at him through the car mirror, and it didn't help that Ruby was snuggled into him the whole time. And Aries, the ever so helpful guard dog, simply sat on the other side of Ruby. Feigning ignorance to the fact that his master was in danger of being smashed to death by a overprotective ice hammer wielding father.

"Welp! Here we are. Home sweet home." Yang said as the car pulled into a driveway.

John got out and looked at their house. "Hmm. Nice place." John said.

"Yep! Things can't get better then here." Ruby said.

"But don't you have to worry about Grimm?"

"There's hardly any Grimm on Patch. And there are traps set up all around the area to stop them from getting to the house, so watch where you step." Ruby said.

"I think I'll just stay with you, since I'm guessing you guys have memorized where all the traps are. Right?"

"Yeah! Well, you know, most of them." Ruby said sheepishly.

Yang chuckled. "I still have the picture of when she got stuck in a snare." Yang said with a look of amusement.

Ruby turned and glared at her. "You told me you deleted it!" Ruby yelled at her older sister.

"Oh, right. Uh, oops?" Yang rubbed the back of her neck.

Before Ruby could start yelling at her sister, John said, "So are you guys gonna show me inside?"

Yang said and grabbed her luggage from the trunk of the car before walking into the house. John and Ruby did the same, all the while John tried to ignore the fact that Ruby's dad was still glaring at him.

"And welcome to the Xio Long residence!" Yang said as they walked inside. It was nice inside, and despite being made of wood it was quite cozy.

John raised an eyebrow. "Xio Long residence? Why not Rose residence? Sounds nicer." He asked.

"THAT, My future brother in law, is because us Xio Long's outnumber the Roses."

They both blushed heavily. "YANG!" Ruby cried, her face easily being the same shade as her cape.

Yang chuckled. "Relax. I'm just teasing you guys." She said and looked at John. "Besides, there's no way dad would let you marry into our family. Not unless you got my sister pregnant."

They both blushed even more. **"YANG!"** Ruby cried and started hitting her sister with weak punches.

Yang laughed them off. "Okay, okay. I'll leave you alone... For now." She said and walked away with a sly smile.

"Would it be wrong it I fed her to the Flood?" John deadpanned.

"Right now, yes. If she does that again, we'll see." Ruby said playful.

"The Flood? What's the Flood?" They both whirled around to see Taiyang staring at them both curiously.

"Uh NOTHING! How about I go show you the guest room John?" Before Taiyang could react she grabbed John's arm and ran up the stairs with him.

They both let out a breath of relief. "We have to be more careful. A topic like that isn't something we can discuss willy nilly. The less people that know about this the better." John said.

Ruby nodded. "you're right. Now, here's your room." She opened a door at the end of the hallway. It was simple. A bed, bookshelf, dresser, mirror, nothing fancy. "And my room is right across the hall. So if you need anything just ask."

He clutched his chest as if offended. "You mean you're just going to leave me in this room all by myself?"

She snorted in amusement. "I'm sure you'll be fine." She said and turned around, only to squeak in surprise when John grabbed her around the waist and fell back onto the bed with her.

"But I don't like being alone." He gave her a fake pout.

She giggled. "Aww, you're so cute! Like a big baby." She started rubbing his cheeks, much to his annoyance.

He batted her hands away. He suddenly got an idea. "A baby, huh?" He gave her an evil smile and started slowly walking towards her. "That's not very nice." Her eyes widened in fear and she ran out of the room. John gave chase, the both of them laughing in glee the whole time.

* * *

The days seemed to pass like hours. During the time at Rubys house, he hadn't done much. He and Ruby had gone for walks, watched movies, played games, and all the stuff that could be done in a cabin in the middle of the woods. Aries and Ruby's dog Zwie had really hit it off, and the two were nearly nonstop playing with each other. Even when they weren't they rarely ever left each others side. John and Ruby had played with the two for several hours a day.

There had almost been an accident when Rubys dad had found them both in Johns bed after they fell asleep watching a movie. Were it not for Ruby, he might have ended up a smear on the wall. John had also experienced several more side effects, but luckily none of them happened when Taiyang was around, so he didn't have to answer anything. He also noticed that they got less severe as time went on.

At the moment, John, Ruby, and Yang were all playing Remnant: The Game. Right as Ruby dominated his last kingdom.

"YAAAAY! I WIN!" She yelled and jumped up with her hands in the air. Yang had lost two turns ago when her last army was destroyed, with it also losing the only way to retake a kingdom.

John groaned and banged his head on the table. "She's like a demon. A really small demon."

Ruby shot him with a scowl. "I am not small!" She cried indignantly.

John gave her a teasing smirk. "Whatever you say short stuff."

She growled and started beating on him with her fists. "I am not short! I am concentrated awesome!"

He laughed and grabbed her tightly, pulling her in and restraining her in a hug against his chest. "you're also irresistibly cute, adorable, and childish."

While Ruby pouted, Yang was roaring in laughter, but managed to get out, "He's right!" Before descending into a fit of giggles.

"He's not wrong Ruby." Taiyang said from the kitchen, making her whine and sink into John's chest in defeat.

After a few minutes he let her out and she looked at the clock. "I should go." She said and made for the door.

Before John could ask where she was going Yang spoke up. "Hey Rubes. Maybe you should bring John with you?"

She stopped with a thoughtful look before nodding and taking Johns hand and taking him out the door. "Remember I'm taking you back to Beacon within the hour!" Taiyang yelled as they left.

"Where are we going?" He asked, noting how he hadn't been informed in the slightest as to where they were going.

"We're going to see my mom." She said, all playfulness from earlier now gone.

"...Oh." He said simply. He walked with her in silence for a few minutes until they came to a clearing. The ground continued before dropping off a cliff. And just before the cliff, was a rock that, even from the distance he was at, he could see the words, _"Summer Rose. Thus I kindly Scatter."_

"I'll give you a few minutes to yourself first." John said and respectively took a step back. She nodded at him and gave a thankful smile before turning back and walking to the tombstone.

John stood there patiently for a few minutes, able to make out a few words Ruby said through the cliff's high wind.

After the few minutes passed, she came back and pulled him to the stone. "And mom, this is John. He's my boyfriend." The grave didn't respond. "At least you didn't overreact like dad did. I knew you would understand, you're the best." She smiled sadly, and John pun an arm around her comfortingly.

"Hello Summer. It's nice to finally meet you. I don't really know what to say, but I promise that I will never hurt Ruby and will always protect her. Even though she can kick some serious ass all on her own."

Ruby swatted him on the back of the head. "No swearing!"

John chuckled and rubbed the back of his head. "Yes dear."

They both heard a bark behind them and turned around to see Taiyang, Zwei, and Aries. "Oh, there's dad! He's dropping me and John off at Beacon for the tournament before going out on a mission! Wish us luck!" They both turned around and started to walk away. But as they did Ruby stopped, turned around and said, "It was good to talk." Before running to catch up with John, who was waiting patiently for her.

She grabbed his hand and they walked towards her dad. John looked up at the orange streaked sky, noting how he could see white rose petals swirling through the branches of the trees. As if Summer herself were watching over them. But with his friends by his side, and an army of Sentinels at his disposal, he was confident he could handle anything thrown his way.

* * *

 **Eeeehhh... I feel weird. I've never written any passionate kissy scenes like that before. It was kinda embarrassing to write to be honest, and it was probably the part that took me the longest just because of how awkward it was to write.** **At the same time though, I feel rather proud with the work I did on that scene. Is that weird?**

 **I admit for a time I was kind of worried (and still slightly am) that such a scene might ruin the appearance of their relationship. But hey, they are boyfriend and girlfriend, and what kind of boyfriend and girlfriend don't have a make out session every now and then? Especially in a world where any second could really be your last. Especially with a job as dangerous as theirs.**

 **Please review and tell me what you think. And as always, I'll see you next time.**


	12. Chapter 12 - Questions

**At last we've reached the Vytal Festival. I have more to say at the end. Sorry for the short chapter though, even though the chapter count is at around 7,000 words.**

 **Reviews**

 **GhettoPeach1: Lol, I didn't even notice that until you pointed that out.**

 **Rocketmce: Thanks!**

 **ZENxRaider23: Thank you. It's nice to hear that at least someone understands.**

 **Sheploo: Possibly.**

 **LoneReader101: Thank you, I'm glad you enjoyed it.**

 **halo is bad ass: No, I enjoyed your last comment. It gave me an idea. So thanks.**

 **Jack54311: I did consider it, however I was afraid of ruining the image of the 2 that I decided to just play it safe. I may do something more intimate in the future, but for now I like where their relationship is at the moment. However, I've considered doing a one-shot that details what would've happened if they hadn't been interrupted. It'd most likely be smut. However I'm not sure if I will actually ever do that.**

 **Legionnas: I never considered doing something like that, but since you brought it up I might. However, I make no promises.**

 **Nathan: I have, and I plan to.**

 **Darkromdemon: If I do choose to, It will not be for some time. And thank you, I'm glad you enjoyed it.**

 **The Adventure of All: I plan to eventually give him something like that, however it will certainly not be a one time use weapon, as that seems extremely inefficient to me.**

 **RadarWithCheeze: And your comment made me burst out laughing.**

* * *

Remnants Reclamation

* * *

"That was pretty cool." Riley commented after team RWBY's match had finished.

"Meh. It was alright. I've seen better." Azure said with a shrug.

John shot him a look of annoyance. "Do you have to give us your opinion about everything, Azure?" John asked.

Azure put a hand to his chest. "Of course! What kind of world would we live in if I didn't voice my thoughts?" He asked with feigned offense.

John rolled his eyes and said, "It'd be a lot quieter, that's for sure."

"Stop that, now look around. Do you see them? I can't see them. Damn, I hate crowds." Gemina complained. The two teams had agreed to meet at the fairgrounds, but the enormous amount of people was making it more then a little difficult to find them.

"They're close. I can hear them." Riley said, her bat ears twitching slightly as if to prove her point.

John looked around in an attempted to spot his girlfriend and her team. As he did, he took in some of the other details around them. Birds flying through the air, the inciting aroma of the festival food, people happily milling around, Atlas soldiers patrolling the fairground with their weapons. When he saw the soldiers he briefly wondered if he should have asked Hallow to provide some Sentinels for protection for the festival. Of course though he would've had to do so secretly. Which kinda diminished their ability to provide defense.

"Oh! There they are!" Gemina exclaimed and pointed in a direction. John shook his head to clear his thoughts and looked over. He saw a familiar green-haired girl talking with his girlfriend and her team.

"Well? Let's go then." Azure said before leading them towards team RWBY.

When they got into range, John was able to make out their conversation. "So yeah, looks like me and Merc are moving on to the doubles round. What about you guys?" Emerald asked.

Ruby put a hand up to her chin and tried to change her posture to one of authority. Key word: Tried. "Well, as leader of this team I've thought long and hard about this decision-"

"We put it to a vote." Weiss cut Ruby off with a deadpan expression.

"Uh, yes but uh, I'm the one who decided we should put it to a vote." Ruby said as she tried to gain back an aura of authority.

"We voted for-" Blake started, but was cut off when John spoke up behind them.

"Is it really smart to give away details to a potential opponent?" Everyone turned around to see him and his team walking up.

Ruby threw the remains of her leader personality out the window and instead replaced it for something resembling a love-struck puppy as she ran up to John and hugged him tightly. "John! Did you watch out match!? Did you see me!?"

John laughed and pecked her on the lips. "I did. You were amazing. As usual."

She blushed and smiled embarrassingly. "Stop that. Your embarrassing me."

John gave her a cheeky smile. "That's the point, rose."

"Soooo?" Emerald looked between the two. "I'm guessing you two are dating?" Emerald asked.

John snorted. "Was it not obvious?"

Ruby slapped him on the arm as a result of his reply. "Be nice! Emeralds our friend."

"Sorry." He said.

Emerald nodded. "Alright. So who are you guys taking to the doubles round?" Emerald asked sounding eager to get back on the topic.

"Actually, John makes a good point. We shouldn't give away any information to a potential opponent." Weiss said.

"Aw, come on guys. I told you that me and Merc are going to the doubles round. Isn't it only fair that you tell me now?"

"She's right." Ruby nodded in agreement.

"It's me and the princess." Yang said.

"Heiress." Weiss corrected with a glare.

"Well, if me and Mercury see you down the line don't think we'll go easy on ya." She said with a smile.

"Wouldn't have it any other way." Yang said.

Emerald turned to John and his team. "So any idea on who you guys are sending to the doubles round?" She asked.

"We aren't sure yet." Gemina said instantly, causing Emerald to blink at the suddenness.

"Alright. Well we're gonna go and catch some more fights." She said and turned around.

Ruby waved and yelled, "Have fun!"

Emerald waved back. "See you later!"

Just a few seconds after they had walked away, Gemina said, "I hate her."

The members of RWBY looked at her in surprise. "What? Why? Emerald's nice." Ruby protested.

Gemina just shook her head. "I don't care. There's something about her and I don't like it. And my double would agree." She said, referring to her semblance.

"Wait... don't you control your double?" Yang asked with confusion. To which Gemina only replied with a shrug, which in turn only succeeded in making her more confused.

As Ruby opened her mouth again, John interjected. "I admit, there's something fishy about her. But I don't know what." That was a lie. Every one of his Alphas began feeding him their irritation and anxiety at the sight of Emerald. Strategos said nothing more then, **"Keep an eye open when your around her."** Before going silent. He honestly didn't see anything wrong with Emerald though. She seemed fine to him.

As everyone conversed, no one noticed Aries stealthy creeping away from the group. The Crawler climbed atop a nearby building and moved to chase after the quickly retreating pair of individuals.

Aries soon neared, and was able to make out what they were saying.

"-It's the heiress and the bimbo." The green one spoke.

"Hm. Alright. At least now we know who we're working with." Said the grey one.

"Yeah, no thanks to that double semblanced rat bastard. He almost convinced them not to tell me."

Aries growled at the insult to his master, but only continued following from behind and above.

"Aw, come on. He doesn't seem like such a bad guy."

"Why do you say that?"

"Anyone who can beat you and makes your job harder is good in my books."

*SLAP* "OW!"

She growled. "Even to this day I don't know why Cinder recruited you."

"Because I get the job done. And was hitting me really necessary?"

"Yes. Now let's get going. Cinder's waiting for us." She said, ending their conversation before they walked away.

Aries growled and hunkered down atop the building. _"This. Problems. Master."_ Aries limited speech was funneled to the minds of his fellow Alphas, and the three of them consented their agreement.

"SHOULD WARN HIM. NEEDS TO KNOW." Harpy supplemented.

 **"No, we cannot. We have no way of proving that conversation occurred, even if he trusts us enough to believe our word. John has only just recently begun his recovery, and his mind is finally moving into a state of peace. Speaking to him of this conversation would only cause him angst."** Strategos spoke.

"Then we must solve it ourselves." Remus said, which was surprising. The Soldier seldom talked, even to them.

 _"Trust. Misuse."_ Aries whined.

 **"It may be a misuse of his trust, but our master cannot afford to have such worries on his mind. Not during such a time when he should be preparing for the tournament, and not if what 135 Unhallowed Curator said to us earlier is true. If it is, then his mind must be at it's peak, ready and alert for any problems that arise. He must not be distracted. Therefore it is logical that we deal with this ourselves. We can alert him if we find anything significant."**

"BUT DIFFICULT FOR US. EASIER WITH HIM." Harpy pointed out.

"A condition we will have to face and overcome."

 _"Situation. Dislike."_ Aries protested.

"CONCURRED."

 **"I realize the situation we are in isn't favorable, but we must do this. Our master must be focused for what comes ahead, and what _could_ come ahead. But this is an enigma that must come to light, and we are the only ones capable of doing so."**

"BUT WHERE TO BEGIN?"

 _"Room?"_

"A logical place to start."

"CONCURRED."

 _"The two. Connections? False Maiden?"_

 **"It's a possibility. But the aura signals of their other member is only similar, not identical. However, that could be either a result of the missing halves, resulting in frayed outputs** **. But the energy output of the maidens are still similar to many other people on this world, so it could be pure coincidence."**

"PATH COULD BE DANGEROUS."

 **"Perhaps. Nonetheless, we must do this. For John at the very least. Agreed?"**

 _"Agreed."_

"AGREED."

"Agreed."

* * *

"A noodle stand?" Azure asked incredulously.

"Hey! This place is great!" Yang said. She had led them to a red stand with a older man behind the counter.

"We're here. We might as well give it a try." Gemina said with a shrug. Everyone sat down at the stand, each team on one side.

"I'll have a bowl of the regular, please." Yang said. The man reached behind the counter and produced a rather large bowl full of noodles, and slid it over to Yang, who smiled.

"Ooh." Ruby inspected Yang's meal before saying, "I'll take the same." The man instantly gave her the same as Yang, and John had to wonder if she'd even eat it all. The bowl alone was bigger then her head.

"Do you have anything with low salt?" The man nodded, producing another bowl of noodles and slid it over to Weiss.

Blake simply nodded to the man. The man rushed back into the kitchen for a few minutes, the sound the sounds of clattering and sizing could be heard. He produced a bowl of noodles, but with several fish on top. Blake practically started drooling.

When it was John's turn he said, "Whatever you recommend." He just gave him a bowl of noodles that looked no different from Yangs.

Everyone else ordered, but before any of them could take out their wallets Weiss held up a card.

"Aw, Weiss. What's the occasion?" Yang asked.

"Consider it thanks for sending me to the doubles round. I'll even pay for yours." Weiss said to John and his team as she handed the man her card.

"Heh, benefits of being friends of a rich girl." Azure smirked.

The man threw Weiss's card back at her and pointed to the machine. It said, 'CARD DECLINED.'

"What!?" Weiss said in shock. "How can my card be declined? I was barley into my monthly allowance."

Blake tried to stealthy sneak away her food, only for it to be taken away. "Nooo." She whined in defeat.

"Maybe I can help?" Everyone looked and saw team JNPR walking towards them, and Pyrrha had her card out.

"Pyrrha!" Ruby cried out in glee.

"Aw, you don't have to do that." Yang said.

"But she could." Blake quickly said.

"Well, after a match like that, I think you've earned it." Pyrrha said.

"Sure. But you don't have to pay for ours. I got it covered." John said and pulled out his own card.

"Ooh, when did you get into the money?" Yang asked slyly with a grin.

"I didn't. But if I'm ever in desperate need of money, I can always have Hallow just make me some." He said.

Yangs face quickly lost her smile. "Wait. You can do that?"

John shrugged in response. "Probably. If the Forerunners were able to make entire planets, I'm sure that they'd have something that could replicate our currency."

"That's not really a good thing to do. It's basically stealing." Blake said.

"I know, I know. Which is why I'm going not going to do it unless I absolutely need to. And even if I do, I won't make so much as to unbalance the economy. Just a little bit here and there. Besides, I can afford to pay for my teams meal right now anyways. And I don't plan on Having Hallow make any lein any time soon." John said.

"So do you think you could make me some money to supe up my motorcycle?" Yang asked.

Nora gasped. "Can you buy me a buntchload of pancakes!?" She cried.

"OOH! And maybe so I can get some new parts for Crescent Rose!?" Ruby asked excitedly.

"Ruby! You are not using counterfeit Lien! And neither are you two!" Weiss scolded.

"Awww." Yang and Ruby wined and sunk back down in their seats.

Meanwhile Nora put on a defiant face. "Ha! You can't order me around! You don't have the power!"

"Nora, your not using fake Lien." Jaune said.

Nora's defiant posture shattered and she looked at Jaune in betrayal. "But fearless leader-"

"No Nora."

"Ren! Help! He doesn't understand!" Nora begged and latched onto her teammate.

Ren calmly looked at her and said, "No fake Lien Nora."

She wined and slowly sank to the ground.

"Alright, alright. Let's eat already." John said ending the conversation.

* * *

John felt thoroughly stuffed, almost like he'd pop if he moved. The analogy brought the memory of popping infection forms just a week ago. It felt like so much time had passed since then.

He looked around and saw that everyone else had cleaned their bowls as well. Even Ruby. Though John was slightly worried by how nauseous Jaune looked.

"Are you sure it's wise to have eaten before a fight?" Ren asked.

"Of course. It'll give us energy." Pyrrha said, followed by an enormous burp from Nora.

Jaune face planted on the counter and said, "If I barf I'm blaming you."

Azure groaned in agreement, his large bowl of empty noodles comically covering his head, which was laid on the counter.

"OH! Aim it at the enemy!" Nora got a sadistic look on her face and looked around for potential targets.

"Nora, that's disgusting. But if you do feel the urge..." Ren trailed off.

"Got it." Jaune held up a thumb.

"Oooogh. Kill me now." Azure groaned as Riley took the bowl off his head.

"Hey Azure, isn't it funny how my girlfriend, who is both younger and smaller, can stomach more then you?" John asked mockingly.

Azure simply, and calmly, held up his hand, and flipped John the middle finger. John just snorted and laughed.

"Well, we should be off." Pyrrha said and stood up.

"So, you guys think your ready?" Ruby asked.

"Of course! We've got a world renowned fighter on our team, what's basically a ninja, I can bench five of me... Jaune! We've trained all year, our weapons are awesome, Glynda barley yells at us anymore, and uh... Jaune!" Nora finished, and John couldn't help but feel a little bad for his similarly named compatriot.

"Are you gonna take that?" Ren asked.

Jaune shook his head. "She's not wrong." He said slowly.

"I'm kidding! He knows I'm kidding. The worst that can happen is we lose, then it's just a few more years of walking around school with everyone knowing we're failures, our friends will slowly abandon us to preserve their social status, we wont be able to show our faces in class, no one will sit with us in the cafeteria, me and Ren have no parents so we have no home left to go to, and we'll officially be renamed team loseiper." By the time she finished her face was blue and she copied Jaune, slamming her own head on the stand.

"So, yeah. We're feeling pretty good." Ren said calmly.

Pyrrha put a hand on Jaune and Nora comfortingly. "Don't fret. If anything we should look forward to fighting with actual guidelines and not... Well, murders."

"Yeah, don't sweat it. We've all faced way worse before." Yang added.

"Let's see." Blake held up her hand. "Grimm invasions, violent extremists, a destructive sociopath." She counted off her fingers.

"And an army of alien parasites hell bent on galactic domination and consumption of all sentient life." John said as he held up his hand.

"...Okay, John wins." Yang pouted.

"Plus, all that happened while we were still in training! Imagine what it'll be like when we graduate." Ruby gushed with a look of anticipation.

"Maybe then I'll be able to pay for a meal." Weiss muttered under her breath.

"You should call the credit card company and see whats going on." Gemina suggested.

The conversation was abruptly halted when Aries jumped onto the stand and knocked a number of bowls off the counter. The Crawler turned to John and barked a few times. It then rattled the orange spikes on it's back and pushed its feelings into Johns mind.

He tilted his head as he was able to put together exactly what the Crawler was asking permission for. "Really? Well, if you want to then go ahead. Just don't cause any trouble." He said.

Aries trilled happily and nuzzled his hand, then jumped off the stand and ran off, quickly disappearing into the crowd.

He let his eyes trail after the spot the metal dog vanished, his mind racing with possible reasons as to why Aries would suddenly be acting so differently.

"What was that all about?" Yang asked, bringing him out of his daze.

He turned his gaze to her and said, "I don't know. He just asked to go and run around. It's odd though. He, nor any of my other Alpha's have ever asked to leave."

"Ooh, maybe they're making you a surprise party?" Nora suggested.

He gave her a look. "I really don't think they'd do that." He deadpanned.

"So then what do you think he's doing?" Ruby asked.

John though for a second, then shrugged. "I have no idea. Maybe I'll ask later."

An announcement rang through the air before anyone else could speak. _"Would team JPNR please report to the stadium to prepare for their next match? Like they were supposed to several minutes ago?"_ John recognized the voice as being an annoyed Dr. Oobleck.

"Well, that's us. We'll see you all after the match." Pyrrha said and led her team away, somehow none of them at all concerned by the fact that they were late.

"Good luck!" Ruby cried after them.

"Really? Just like that? No rush? Do they not realize they're leaving thousands of people waiting?" Gemina asked after they were gone, simultaneously reading Johns thoughts aloud.

"Eh, who cares. Come on, we should some seats before they're all taken." Yang said and walked in the direction of the stadium, everyone else agreeing and following behind.

* * *

"Seriously, you'd think that they would be more organized on the battlefield. But nope! Instead they have a team discussion in the middle of their fight, and then Nora just hits them with her hammer. What the actual hell kind of play was that!?" Gemina finished her rant of team JNPR's... Interesting battle to say the least. All was going well, until they stopped fighting and started talking. But, the good news was that they won. Even if it was by less then conventional means.

"Alright that concludes this match. There is still one more match scheduled for today let us begin the randomization process." Dr. Oobleck said over the speaker in his usual rushed manner.

The board began spinning, and after a few seconds it stopped on two teams.

"And it looks like it will be team Jaguar of Beacon VS team Saffron of Mistral. Both teams please be ready for combat in one hour." Professor Port said.

"Oh yeah! Time to show our skills! Woo hoo!" Azure wooped and ran off.

Riley sighed, but had a smile on her face. "I'll go make sure he'll be ready in an hour." She said and ran after Azure.

"Heh. Now we can finally see your team at work. But you'll never beat us in terms of style." Yang said with a sly smirk and crossed her arms.

"Oh yeah? Just you wait. We'll make you yesterdays news." Gemina replied back equally playful.

"No way. We'll always be on today's news. No one can ever forget someone so awesome as me."

"Just watch. We'll be so awesome even your own dad won't remember you."

"I'm surprised your own team even remembers you at all when they get to look at me."

Before Gemina could retaliate again, which her mouth was already open and prepared to do, John got out of his seat, picked her up, hoisted her over his shoulder, and started walking away. "I'll see you guys after the match. Right now we're gonna go and get ready." He said, ignoring the insults Gemina was throwing at him.

"By John! And good luck!" Ruby said with a smile.

John smiled back. "Thanks Ruby!"He replied and waved before turning the corner and heading to the airship so they could grab their gear, still ignoring Gemina's fists uselessly hitting his back.

* * *

 _"Welcome back to the Vytal Festival tournament. If your just joining in, then you should know that we have an exciting battle in store for you. On one side we have team Jaguar of Beacon. And on the other side we have team Saffron of Mistral."_ Port said through the speaker.

John had his team had been preparing for the last hour. Making sure they had enough ammo and their weapons were in peak condition. John had taken the liberty to get some more binary rounds for Atomizer so he could reload faster. After all, every advantage helped.

"This is it guys. You ready?" John asked.

"I'm ready." Riley said.

"Oh hell yeah! Been waiting for this!" Azure said.

"I'll show Yang style." Gemina growled.

"That's the spirit guys." John said smiling.

The opposing team stood across from them. Two girls and two boys. One girl, who appeared to be the leader, had green and black hair, as well as a similarly colored jacket and black pants. She also had two large handguns attached to her waist. The other girl had darker skin and curly brown hair. She wore a red t-shirt and black jeans. She held her large black and red weapon like one would a mini gun. But her weapon didn't appear to fire bullets. Her weapon had a short round barrel that was glowing an angry red, and John could see a fire dust crystal inside her weapon through its side. It was probably a flamethrower. One of the guys was big, and seemingly very muscular. He had two large hammers, one over each of his shoulders. Their heads were glowing a steady blue. He was wearing a blue jacket and grey pants. The last guy didn't even appear to be armed. He was bald and wore a baggy purple sweater and pants. And no matter how hard John looked, he couldn't see the mans weapon.

The battlefield holograms began their randomization process. After a few seconds, the one on their side stopped on a picture of a cloud, and the other froze on a picture of multiple trees.

The platforms came up. The cloud one was just grey metal, but with giant fans littered over the surface. And hovering the air were small to medium grey platforms with glowing green lines covering each of them. The other side rose up to reveal a large and dense forest with huge trees **.**

"Riley, you'll use your semblance to disorient them. Before they recover, I want everyone to fire on them. Gemina, I want you to mine the field when they recover. Azure, you'll use your speed to separate them as well cause some damage. Meanwhile I'll get up high and cause some damage." Everyone nodded at their assigned tasks.

"3." John and his team readied their weapons.

"2." Their opponents did the same thing.

"1." John heard their friends cheering from the stands, Ruby's voice being the loudest. He smiled and gave them a small wave.

"Begin!" At Dr. Ooblecks command, everyone went into action.

The second Oobleck stopped talking, Riley let loose an ear splitting shriek. Just like the last time he had seen it, John could see the sound waves moving through the air. The opposing team, and many of the spectators, covered their ears. The shriek continued for a good five seconds before Riley cut it off.

Thanks to her semblance's effects, the opposing team was unable to dodge the hailstorm of projectiles flying towards them from team JAGR. Hardlight, knives, soundwaves, and explosives washed down on them all like rain. Some of them were sent flying through the air, while others only flinched as the offending objects bounced off their aura.

Their leader recovered quicker then the rest and started shouting orders. "Retreat to the forest!" She yelled. Her team pulled themselves together and followed her order and ran into the forest.

"Gemina! Your up!" John said.

She nodded and clicked the second trigger on her weapon. Gemina's large yellow weapon's barrel split into four pieces and into an X. Along each 'arm' was a row of the spiked explosives her gun shot. She angled her weapon into the air and fired, causing every explosive ball to shoot into the air before arcing and landing all throughout the forest. John had learned some time ago that inside each of their ear pieces was an IFF tag. The reason behind those components was so that when Gemina launched her explosives when they were set on proximity mine mode, they would read the friend tag and wouldn't detonate. But when something else went near, they would do exactly what mines should. Explode.

And explode they did. They heard several explosives going off, and John saw the other teams aura bars decrease by several points. The leader, Serenity, was at 72. The big guy, Forte, was at 85. The pyromaniac, Aliana, was at 69. And the bald guy, Alexander, was at 77.

"Alright! You guys into the forest! I'll provide cover fire!" John ordered.

"But then it'll be three against four!" Azure pointed out.

John smiled. "Don't worry. I have a replacement." He said. He sifted through his brain and found the part that allowed him to access the Promethean Relay. From it, he ordered a Knight to appear.

The aura bar on the board registered his actions before the Knight appeared, and Pr. Port commented on it. _"What's this? It appears that John Midori's aura has been drained by a wopping 20 points despite not even being hit."_

 _"Why yes Peter. I believe young John has just activated one of his semblances. It allows him to create a variety of mechanical creatures at the cost of his aura. That's right everyone, you heard me correctly. That's only one of his semblances. My student John is possibly the first person in Remnants history to have two completely different semblances. Nonetheless, 20 aura points is still a significant amount. Let's hope his investment was worth it."_ Dr. Oobleck said. John couldn't help but feel a bit of pride when the crowd started cheering louder when they heard that he had two semblances. Even if they were wrong.

A second later, the Promethean Knight appeared in all it's glory. It was a Knight Marshal, which was armed with a classic Scattershot. It looked no different from a regular Knight except for the subtle rise of additional metal plates on it's back.

"Alright guys, move out!" John commanded, and the three charged into the forest, followed by the giant Knight. Meanwhile John ran the opposite direction. He jumped into one of the fans and the wind carried him up into the air. He leaped out of the air stream and onto one of the highest platforms. He took a kneeling position and aimed into the forest. He saw everyone had an opponent. Azure was facing Forte, Riley was attacking Aliana, and Gemina was striking Serenity. But no matter where he looked, John couldn't see his Knight's supposed opponent. His construct was looking around for him as well, but was having just as much luck as he was. The enemy team member was no where to be seen.

John chose to temporarily forget about him and instead turned his focus to the other three. Azure was fast enough to dodge Forte, and Riley was able to deflect Aliana's fire with the soundwaves from Banshee. So John focused his sight on their leader, Serenity. He waited for a few moments until Gemina was clear, and then he fired a bolt of super fast hardlight right at her chest. She wasn't expecting the shot so it threw her off balance and she fell to the ground.

But before he could line up another shot, he heard a whooshing noise behind him. He turned just in time for a chain to wrap around Atomizer and yank it away from him and onto another platform on the other side of the arena.

John followed he chain back to it's owner and saw the purple guy on a few platforms away.

 _"So there's his weapon."_ John thought dryly. His weapon was two chains with arrow shaped spikes on the end, and a yellow crystal inside of each spike. The reason why he couldn't see them before was because they were hidden in his sleeves.

"Where is the honer in sending a machine to fight for you?" Alexander questioned him.

John got into a ready stance. "For your information, it's actually called a Promethean." And with that, John took off sprinting. He leaped from his platform to another in the direction of his weapon.

Alexander launched one of his chains at John, but he jumped over it and rolled onto another platform. He tried launching the another, only for John to duck underneath it. Alex growled and launched them both at John at the same time. One high and one low.

John knew he wouldn't be able to avoid both of them. So just when the spikes were about to reach him, he jumped and stomped on the side of another platform. His weight caused the slab of metal to tilt and act as a shield, making the spikes hit and bounce off the bottom of the platform.

John allowed himself a smirk and continued dodging the chains until he was only a few platforms away from his weapon.

"Enough!" Alex suddenly yelled before throwing a red Dust crystal in the empty air beside nearby platform. He then proceeded to pull out a small pistol from his waist and shoot the Dust. The resulting explosion caused the platform to fly through the air and towards John.

John picked up his sniper and turned around just in time to see the platform flying towards him. He quickly switched Atomizer into falchion form and sliced the platform in half. But in doing so it gave the chain traveling behind it a clear path to him. The chain wrapped around his waist and before John could do anything to remove it, shocked him.

Aura did protect you from damage, but some effects of damage can still bypass aura. Because of that fact, the lightning crystals in the metal chain spikes caused John's muscles to spasm and contract. His legs collapsed beneath him and he laid there, twitching as the lightning dust continued to electrocute him.

This continued for a few seconds, and just when John thought that he would lose the match like that, twitching uncontrollably on the ground, his Knight came out of nowhere and cut the chain to pieces.

The shocking immediately stopped and John gasped. He took several deep breaths before getting to his feet. He glared at his opponent, who had the sense to look slightly nervous as his eyes glowed orange. A quick look up at the board showed John that his aura was at 63.

John mentally ordered the Knight to rush Alex while he opened fire with his Binary Rifle. Alex dove out of the way of John fire, only getting hit once before the Knight was upon him. Alex launched his remaining chain at the Knight, only for it to fold in on itself in a blue sphere and disappear. A moment later it reappeared above him and used it's weight to slam him into the ground on his back. The Knight shoved its face into its opponents and opened its face plate. Reveling with a metallic shriek, to everyone's equal shock and horror, a open mouthed glowing orange _human skull_. The Knights shriek was cut off when Alex overcame his shock and fear and punched it in the face before kicking it off him.

He got to his feet just in time for the Knight to essentially backhand him with its sword, sending him sprawling onto another platform. With the area now clear, John fired at him again. The bolt of hardlight screamed through the air before slamming into it's unsuspecting targets chest. The surprise of the shot unbalanced him. He teetered for a few seconds, and then fell off the platform and plummeted through empty air towards the ground below.

Alex attempted to recover and grab a platform with his chain, but John leaped through the air and slashed the chain apart before it could reach its intended target. Alex fell through the air with no way to slow himself.

He impacted with the arena floor with a crunch, making a small crater beneath him. He was able to look up just in time to see John's shoes get firmly planted in his face.

As John slammed his feet into Alex's face, he used his momentum to roll forwards before standing and bowing to the crowd, as if he was an acrobat that had just finished his show.

 _"Ohh! And it looks like Alexander is down for the count by both aura level and loss of consciousness. And in style as well."_ Pr. Port said, causing John to look back at Alex to see him snoring softly. He then looked up and indeed saw that Alex's aura had indeed fallen into the red zone. Meanwhile his hadn't changed from 63.

John smirked and fist pumped. "Fuck yeah! Now let's see who's next." With that, John left to see who he could help.

* * *

As Azure chased Forte through the trees, he made sure to keep an eye out for any of Gemina's mines. He didn't care if she said they were safe, he didn't trust them. After all, he knew that he wasn't exactly her favorite person in the world.

In his caution of avoiding the mines, he lost sight of Forte. He cursed and ran towards where he last saw him, only to nearly lose his head when a hammer swung out from around a tree. He swiftly ducked underneath it and slid on his knees before turning around to face the hammer wielding man.

"Nice try. But a good idea." Azure smirked, but Forte remained stoic. "Now try this!" Suddenly Azure reached behind his back and pulled out four throwing knives in each hand.

He activated his semblance as everything around his turned grey and slowed down to half the speed they had been moving at. Yet Azure remained moving at the same speed. He quickly threw the knives, his enhanced speed allowing the knives to move faster then they normally would've.

As the knives neared Forte at high speed, he jumped to the side. Only five of the eight knifes managed to bounce off his aura, but not before draining it substantially. As he felt the familiar ache in his head that resulted when he used his semblance for too long, he promptly ended it.

Forte growled, and rushed him. He swung his hammer at Azure, only for him to jump into the air and causing the hammer to slam into the ground, creating a giant pulse wave as it did that amplified it's kinetic energy. He then landed on its head, and delivered a kick to his opponents face, causing him to release the hammer and stumble backwards.

Azure quickly pressed his advantage and instantly started slashing his machetes at the disoriented student. Had it not been for his aura, he would've been chopped to bits.

But as he raised his right arm for another swing, Forte's hand closed around his wrist. He tried to wrestle it out of the larger boys grasp, but his grip was iron tight. Their eyes briefly met, and Azure realized just how much trouble he was in.

Suddenly, Fortes body was enveloped in a dark blue mist that seemed to cling to his skin. The next thing Azure knew, he had been tossed into the air like a ball, and some sort of chain wrapped around his midsection before he was sent crashing through several trees. Wood splintered and cracked as he flew through four trees before making a gouge in the dirt as he landed.

He groaned, and pushed himself to his feet. "That hurt." He mumbled to himself.

"I'm sure it did." Azure looked up and saw Forte standing there with a smug smile on his face. Both his hammers were in his hands, except they were no longer hammers. Instead the long articulated handles had unlinked and turned into chains, effectively making the two weapons chain maces.

"Well, aren't you just full of surprises."

The large man shrugged. "I aim to please." He said, and then charged.

One of the mace heads came from up high, and he jumped backwards to avoid it. The impact and pulse wave threw up dirt and temporarily blinded him, just enough time for the other one to hit him in the side and send him flying.

He landed in the dirt once again, and ended up staring up at the board that displayed their auras. Forte was at 47, while he was much lower, at only 33. Another 13 points and he was done for.

He stood up and glanced at his opponent, who was charging at him. As he raised his left mace, instead of trying to avoid it, he stood his ground. He dug his heels into the dirt, waited until the mace was coming at him, then struck.

He activated his semblance, and used the slowed motion of the mace to jab the sharp end of his machete into the chain where it connected to the handle in Forte's hand. Then, with every ounce of his strength, he lifted his blade and managed to break the chain. Rendering one of Forte's weapons useless.

But before Azure could celebrate or press his new advantage, his semblance died out and a large, meaty fist gripped his neck. He didn't even have any time to analyze the situation before he found himself being thrown into the air and sent flying across the arena by his opponents one remaining hammer being used like a bat.

Azure sailed tumbling end over end through the air, before he face planted into the shield at the end of the arena with a loud buzz. He then comically slid down the shield until he fell limp on the ground.

Azure groaned, sat up, and rubbed his nose. "Well... That could have gone better."

* * *

 **This is not how I wanted to end this chapter, but it's how it ended up. You see, I got a really good idea for this chapter, but it was very close to the time I was supposed to post the chapter. So I attempted to get it done in time, but I couldn't. So I chopped a part of this chapter off and instead it'll be used in the next. Sorry if it's too short, and I apologize for any mistakes I've made.**

 **Please review, and as always I'll see you next time.**


	13. Chapter 13 - Split Views

**A/N: Meh... Words at the bottom. Also, poll on my profile. Please go vote on it. Sorry for the delay, and tell me of any errors in this chapter. Please.**

 **Reviews**

 **Animeak116: Thanks, it's nice to know you like how I portray them then the actual games. Not a bad I idea I guess, but I don't really see how it would fit into my story.**

 **thermalsnipern7: Too true, too true.**

 **darkromdemon: You're the second person to say something like that, with Ironwood doing something relating to John and his Prometheans. Origionally, I never had any intention of doing something like that, but now your making me wonder if I should. And the end of this chapter will likely increase the amount of people who think that. Anyways, thanks for the compliments.**

 **Jack54311: I do plan to write a scene where the Knights skull is discussed. So no worries there. And the beginning of the investigation happens in this chapter, so you have to wait no longer! I hope you enjoy it. And thank you for understanding. It isn't easy when people keep asking for new chapters and I don't have any to give. But I value quality, not quantity. It makes me happy to see that some people understand and are willing to wait, so thank you.**

 **Guest: Yeah, sorry. I went back and changed that. That was what I thought I was going to do, but changed my mind some time ago. And it fires a bolt of Hardlight, like the Binary Rifle in Halo 4.**

 **Andy021: Well thank you. It makes me very happy to hear that you enjoy my story.**

 **Thanks for telling me all the things you like. However, would you mind telling me about the things that I've skipped? You see, because I know everything about my story, it's hard to tell what people reading it don't know. So if you could help me out here I'd be immensely grateful.**

 **I agree that I rushed the sudden introduction of the Forerunners and Flood, and I do kinda wish I'd done things differently. I think I'd be happier with me story if the introduction was slower, and possibly done gradually over time, perhaps through dreams or something. But it's too late to change it now.**

 **I always respond to reviews.**  
 **I'm not sure if I'll be able to accommodate you. At the moment, I don't think I will. I'm sorry, but her death is a major plot point in the story, and helps to add gravity and realism to the storyline. So, sorry about that.**  
 **So what? What does that have to do with anything?**  
 **I agree it is an interesting idea, however I'm not sure if I will because of 2 things: 1 is that what happens to the UNSC right now has very little to no impact on my story, so it'd be pretty useless. When the time comes that the UNSC will appear in my story, then I consider doing it. And 2, is that I honestly haven't fully decided on just when exactly my story is taking place in regards to the rest of humanity. However, I can tell you that it is taking place after the Human Covenant War. I'm thinking around 2559, a little after Halo 5 Guardians and during when Halo Wars 2 is taking place. Take that how you want.**

 **So, I hope I got everything. If I missed anything, please let me know and I'll do my best to answer any more questions.**

 **Nathan: Possibly. Or some sort of of flying vehicle, but not a Phaeton.**

 **Guest: You literally have no idea how close you are to thinking the exact same things as me. And yes, I like Halo Wars to. I am a strategy gamer, and I loved both the plot and game play.**

 **CaptainFusou: Here you go!**

* * *

Remnant's Reclamation

* * *

The sound of denting metal made Gemina cringe as bullets bounced off her prized weapon. Luckily her grenade launcher, aptly named Teardown for its ability to demolish just about anything, was built to handle extreme stress. It had to be to be able to fire off the spiked grenades it used as ammunition. So a pair of handguns, no matter how large, couldn't really do anything serious. But it didn't make it any easier to hear her precious weapon being damaged. Even if the damage was minor.

She winced as a bullet made it past her makeshift shield and grazed her leg. Even with Aura, it still stung.

As a gap in her opponents onslaught arose, presumably to reload, Gemina quickly leveled her weapon, focused the sights on her green and black haired enemy standing at the other end of the clearing, and fired.

Her gun recoiled, and several concussive bangs rang out as four small, round grenades with large spikes protruding from their surface streaked towards the opposing teams leader, making a whistling sound as they did. But unfortunately, her opponent, Stacy, was skilled enough to avoid them. At the last moment she dodged to the side, and the grenades impacted the unfortunate tree behind her. The grenade spikes sunk in deep, before exploding with considerable force for their size.

Both combatants stopped where they stood and stared at one another, memorizing every detail possible about each other as they waited for the other to make the first move. But when neither one of them did, the decision was made for them. A loud cracking sound indicated the damage to the tree behind her opponent was more severe then either of them thought. They both looked up as the large plant began slowly toppling towards them, and as its shadow engulfed them, they both hurried to get out of the way.

The tree came down with a thunderous crash where the two of them had once stood, and broken tree limbs and leaves were thrown everywhere. Gemina winced as one broken branch smacked into the back of her head.

She blinked tears out of her eyes and turned back to the tree. Only for her eyes to widen as Stacy appeared right in front of her. Gemina gasped as something hard slammed into her chest, and she was sent sprawling back several meters and into the dirt.

Gemina wheezed and laid there dazed for a few seconds, trying to breath correctly after the breath was knocked out of her by the hit. But she quickly got to her feet and grabbed her gun. She groaned, and softly nursed the part of her chest where she was hit as it ached slightly. She knew her aura would compensate, but for the moment it burned.

Gemina looked to her adversary, and saw that she was holding two stylish looking metal clubs in her hands. Unfortunately she didn't have enough time to observe further, as her opponent swiftly dashed towards her, swinging her clubs with her body.

Gemina responded by switching her weapon into its club staff form and quickly blocked both attacks. Gemina pushed her back and swung her weapon downwards, its spiked end smashing into the ground where her foe had been. Instead Stacy had jumped away and up onto the limb of a nearby tree.

"Stay still so I can hit you!" Gemina growled angrily.

Her challenger gave a cheeky grin and responded, "Nah, I'd rather not."

Gemina leaped backwards as her adversary switched her weapons back to their gun form, and opened fire. Bullets impacted the ground all around her, throwing up spurts of dirt as she ran.

She took cover behind a large boulder, and the fire directed at her bounced harmlessly off the rocks hard surface.

Gemina waited, and a few moment later, the bullets stopped. She slowly and cautiously peeked her head out from around the rock.

She swiftly pulled her head back as a bullet flew right in front of her face, the trail of air behind it causing her blond hair to sway along its path. "Okay, so that's not going to work. Hmm." She thought for a minute, then grinned as inspiration struck her. She grabbed her weapon by one end, swung it back, and then towards the boulder as as hard as she could.

She knew there was a risk that the force would've simply destroyed the rock, and so destroy her cover, ergo leaving her completely open to attack. Instead, just as she had hoped, the rock held together with just a few cracks, and sailed into the air and towards her foe in the tree.

Gemina could see the surprise in Stacy's face as the rock became airborne, before the girl snapped herself out of it and threw herself out of the tree and to the ground below. The rock continued, smashing the branch she'd been standing on seconds ago, and kept flying all the way to the arena shield, where it finally did smash itself to rubble with a loud boom.

Just as Stacy landed on the ground, Gemina, with her grenade launcher in hand, aimed down her sights once more and pulled the trigger.

The first grenade struck the green and black haired girl just as she was getting to her feet, sending her flying into the air. The second grenade missed by a hair, and the third and final grenade struck her right in the chest.

Stacy landed hard on her back, and a quick look up at the board told Gemina that her opponents aura was almost in the red. If she had been knocked unconscious by the explosives, then she would be out. But the girl was stubbornly still squirming around from her place on the ground.

Gemina sighed. She shifted her weapon into its staff from and calmly walked towards her downed opponent.

Stacy's weapons had been thrown away from her by the impacts, and she was doing her best to crawl towards them. But when Gemina neared her, she kicked her guns away. She looked up, her emotionless green eyes meeting Gemina's blue ones.

"Sorry about this." She said apologetically as she raised her club to deliver the finishing blow.

Out of nowhere, Stacy suddenly had a burst of strength as she reached out and grabbed the back of Gemina's left heel.

Gemina, being surprised by the sudden action, wasn't able to do anything as her foot was ripped out from underneath her. Her club slipped from her hands and were then tasked with immediately defending herself as Stacy pounced on her.

Stacy landed a hard right hook on Gemina's jaw, and raised her fist to deliver another when Gemina abruptly rolled them over. But Stacy wasn't having it. The two girls rolled over the grass as both of them tried to gain an advantage over the other.

Finally Gemina was able to grab Stacy by the shoulders before forcing them to the ground and pinning them with her knees. She grabbed a thick branch near them from the fallen tree and raised it above her head.

Stacy's hand shot out and pressed to the side of her face, and she froze as Stacy's eyes turned just as blue as her own, before reverting back to their original green color.

Gemina's hands began to shake, and the log slipped from her grasp. She fell off Stacy and onto her side as vivid images violently flashed through her mind. It took her a moment, but she realized they were memories. She saw events of her childhood. Time with her father and brothers. Herself with Riley. Him...

 _Him..._

 _..._

 _..._

 _No..._

 _Nonononononono!_

 _She wouldn't- she couldn't remember this! She didn't want to! She wouldn't go through this again! She refused!_

As if her brain was listening her, and wanted nothing more then to spite her, her mind latched onto the memory and viciously dug itself into the nightmare. She could see everything. Remember everything. The time with Riley. The fun. The kind smile. The strange tasting drink. The warm hand guiding her away.

She grabbed the side of her head and screamed. It was a scream of terror, and pure desperation. She would do anything to make it stop.

Through the flashes that passed across her eyes, she caught sight of Stacy, with a sincere look of concern on her face. She reached a hand out, as if to help her. But it was that hand that did this in the first place. It was her fault. These visions, these _memories, were because of her. It was her fault. It was her fault. It was all her fault._

Stacy was truly concerned for her opponent, and so was unprepared when Gemina launched herself up and tackled her to the ground. Gemina straddled her and began relentlessly launching punch after punch at her face. Gemina had the look of a crazed animal on her face, and her eyes were filled with fury. Bottled up fury that now finally had direction, and a target.

Gemina didn't stop her onslaught, and didn't even know how long it'd gone on for.

She experienced sick satisfaction as she felt Stacy's nose break under the onslaught, and blood spilled out. A demented smile formed on Gemina's face as she raised another fist, prepared to eagerly slam it into her face.

Only to stop as a loud buzz cut through the raging cloud in her mind.

It took her several seconds, but she realized that someone was talking through the speaker. She couldn't tell what they were saying though. Everything was muddled as the anger dissipated from her torn mind. But as her senses slowly returned to her, she looked down at Stacy and grimaced as she saw her bloody, bruised, and unconscious opponent. It was then that she realized the buzz was the signal that Stacy had been defeated. She was out.

Slowly, Gemina raised herself off of Stacy, and stumbled over to her weapon. She reached down and grabbed it, but had to stabilize herself against a tree as she nearly fell over.

Thoughts of what she had done, and what she had seen resurfaced in her mind, and she hunched over as her stomach voided its contents. She could hear one of her professors on the speaker, but couldn't make out who it was or what they were saying.

She wiped her mouth and leaned back against the tree, her eyes drooping. She felt so tired. She wanted to sleep. Maybe no one would mind if she just took a little rest. Just for a moment.

Her nearly shut eyes fluttered open as sounds of combat reached her ears. Her sluggish mind slowly realized that there was a fight going on. Between her friends and her opponents. Maybe they didn't need her though. Maybe she could rest, and they'd be fine-

 _"No."_ Her conscience said. She could still stand and fight, and her friends needed her. So she would help.

* * *

Riley quickly ducked behind a tree as flames shot past her on either side. She could feel the searing heat from the fire on her skin, even through her aura and clothes.

The fire abruptly cut out, and she carefully peaked around the corner. He saw her opponent, Aliana, walking towards her with a happy smile. "Here kitty, kitty, kitty."

Riley scowled. "They're bat ears." She mumbled. The battle on her end had been going... Less then well. Her opponents wild yet effective tactics and choice of weapon was making her job difficult. There were fires burning everywhere, and she was constantly having to watch her step.

The tree behind her back suddenly creaked, and then slowly fell to the side. Completely revealing her.

Aliana smirked and raised her gun. Less then a second later a high powered stream of fire flew towards her, behaving as if it were water from a water gun.

Riley raised Banshee and fired as well, sending a continuous tunnel of soundwaves at the fire heading at her. The two waves met, like charging bulls, and created a brilliant show of light as fire and sound attempted to overcome one another. But ultimately, they didn't move from the place they met.

Both combatants cut off their attacks, and the fire show ended. Aliana pressed a button on the side of her flamethrower. The weapon's parts shifted and moved, until she was instead holding a long staff with a fire dust crystal on it's tip. And then she charged.

She swung her staff at Riley, but she deflected it with her bayonet. Aliana then used the bayonet as a pivot point and delivered the blunt end to Riley's gut.

She gasped and faltered, allowing Aliana to shove her gun out of the way, and land a strike to the side of her head, before kicking her in the chest with her boot.

Riley gasped from the ground, but despite her lack of breath, she quickly got to her feet, ant met her opponent once again.

The two's fight was like a dance, constantly moving in rhythm to combat each others moves while occasionally landing a strike on one another. This continued for some time, until Riley had finally almost gotten Aliana's lower aura in the red, when everything went wrong for her.

Something suddenly slammed into her ribs, hard, and she was sent flying away from Aliana and landing sprawled out several meters away. She laid there for several moments gasping and groaning before ultimately forcing herself to her feet.

She looked to the spot she once stood at and saw Forte talking to Aliana, likely checking to see if she was okay. It was no question that he had hit her. It was also obvious that there would soon turn their attention on her. So instead of waiting around, she quickly turned, and ran into the forest.

She didn't bother looking back to see if they were following. And she didn't stop running until she ran into John, nearly impaling him with her bayonet in the process.

"Hey, are you alright?" He asked.

She nodded. "Yeah, I'm fine. But I need help. There's two of them."

He understood what she meant, and nodded. His face suddenly morphed to one of panic, and he grabbed her and shoved them both behind a tree. Just in time to miss a stream of fire that passed right through where they once stood. After it cut out, they both peeked their heads out and were met with the scowling face of Aliana.

"That's the second time you've done that!" She whined childishly.

Riley huffed. "What a baby."

"Yeah, but a baby with a flamethrower." John pointed out.

Forte came out of the shrubbery behind Aliana and yelled, "If you come out now, I promise to pummel you only a little bit!"

John rolled his eyes. "Gee, thanks! You're to kind!" He yelled back.

The large man smirked. "I try!"

"So what's the plan?" Riley asked.

John thought for a second. "Alright, you get Aliana, and I'll get Forte. Their aura's are lower then ours, so we should be able to take them on. I have my Knight circling around right now, so it'll be able to help us and surprise them from behind."

She nodded. "On three?"

"Sure. One-"

"Two-"

"Three!" They shouted and simultaneously charged out from opposite sides of the tree.

Riley was instantly forced to re-direct a stream of fire from Aliana with her shotgun, while Jacob sidestepped a mace head that attempted to crush him form above.

They each focused on their designated opponents, watching their moves carefully and trying to counter them.

But as Riley was forcing the end of Aliana's flamethrower away from her with the frame of her gun, Aliana managed to kick Riley in the knee and cause her to stumble.

Riley shrieked as Aliana got the tip of her weapon over her gun and blasted her in the face with a wave of fire. The attack didn't cause any damage of course, thanks to her aura. But the heat from the fire still hurt tremendously.

Instincts took control of her body and mind as it was filled with an overwhelming need to get away from the fire that was hurting her. She attempted to retreat, but in the blaze, she tripped over something and fell to the ground, but mercifully out of the fire's path that passed harmlessly above her.

"Ooh, now that's got to burn!" She heard Professor Ports obnoxious and unnecessary voice comment through the loudspeakers.

Her thoughts were cut off as a foot was placed on her stomach, and the end of a flamethrower pushed in her face. "Sorry. It's nothing personal." She said with that ever-irritating grin on her face.

Her finger tightened around the trigger of her weapon, nearly triggering the fire dust crystal inside. Suddenly, John's knight suddenly teleported behind the flame wielder, grabbed her with all four of its arms, and teleported away just as Aliana's face began to register her surprise.

About five seconds later, a buzzer sounded and Doctor Oobleck said, "It appears that young Jacob's construct has just teleported Aliana outside of the ring! Such an act counts as being knocked out! That makes the battle 3 to 2. Or 4 to 2 if you chose to include Jacob's construct!"

"Yes, things are certainly heating up!" Port said afterwards.

Riley slowly got to her feet. Her aura was nearly in the red, one more hit and she was done. But as she looked over to John, who had been trading blows with Forte, she was equally shocked and amazed to see he was on fire.

But the odd part was the fact that he wasn't panicking, trying to put it out, or looking hurt. Instead, he was wearing a smirk. "Man oh man, how I love Aliana's semblance." He said, before promptly thrusting one of his now on fire maces at John.

He quickly dodged to the side, unaware that by allowing the mace to continue, it ended up hitting Riley, who had been standing some distance behind behind him.

The buzzer sounded as the flaming mace drained what little was left of Riley's aura. She slumped to the ground in defeat and exhaustion, in no hurry to get back up again.

John scowled and switched his weapon to sniper mode. Forte smiled. They both raised their weapons and prepared to attack.

Only for an explosive to hit Forte square in the back, draining the remainder of his aura. He slowly teetered forwards before falling flat on his face. Revealing Gemina behind him, the barrel of her sticky grenade launcher smoking.

He flinched in shock at her appearance. "Damn, you look like shit. What happened?" He asked with concern.

She shook her almost limp head dismissively, instead saying, "I'm fine. Are you alright?"

He blinked at the evasion of his question, but nodded a yes. "Where's the other girl?"

She gave a tired sigh. "My double should be finishing her off any-"

"And that's that! Team Saffron has been defeated! The winner is Team Jaguar!"

"Now."

* * *

"Ow, ow, OW! Be gentle!" Azure whined as Riley placed ice on his nose.

"Well if you don't want it to hurt, then you shouldn't have gotten it in the first place." She scolded.

Azure rolled his eyes. "Yeah I didn't exactly choose to ram my face into the shield." He deadpanned.

"I don't know. I think it's a real improvement over your previous look." John jested.

Azure scowled at him, but it wasn't intimidating thanks to the ice pack on his face. "You're one to talk." Azure snapped back.

John raised his hands. "Ooh, good one." He taunted.

Azure made to stand up, but was immediately seated again by Riley who was still dressing his nose.

"You have to admit though," John began. "It was pretty funny." He said as a clip of Azure face-planting into the shield played on his Scroll again and again.

"Oh yeah, it was freaking hilarious." He said sarcastically. "Almost as funny as the time you and Ruby- OW!"

"Stop fighting." Riley ordered them both with a stern glare.

Azure mumbled an apology. John made a whipping motion with his hand, and his blue haired friend scowled at him with a look that promised revenge.

John just smiled cheekily and asked, "So what now? Should we decide who's moving on to the doubles round?"

"That would be a good idea. The fight probably isn't that far away." Azure said.

"So who's going?" Azure asked the group.

"I think it should be Gemina and John." Everyone turned to look at Riley, who shrunk back slightly at the sudden attention. "Well, it makes sense. They can both create other beings to fight with them, so they should be able to outnumber whatever opponents they go up against."

Everyone let the logic sink in.

"Well, she's not wrong." John commented. "What do you say Gemina? You willing to go again?" He asked and turned to her.

Gemina didn't give any indication that she had heard him, or that she was even listening to the conversation. She just remained where she was, leaning on the wall of the change room with a blank stare on her face, and a completly empty look in her eyes.

"Gemina? Did you hear me?" John asked concerned.

She blinked and shook her head as she became came out of her daze. "Huh? Sorry, what?"

"I asked if you want to go to the doubles round with me?" He repeated.

"Oh. Yeah, sure." She replied without a trace of emotion in her voice.

He frowned. He was about to open his mouth and say something, but Riley beat him to it. "Gemina, are you okay? What's wrong?"

A bit more life appeared in Gemina's face at the sound of her best friends voice, but it disappeared just as quickly as it came. "Yeah, I'm fine. Don't worry about me."

Concern filled Riley's eyes, but before she could voice it Gemina suddenly said, "Hey, I'm gonna head back to our dorm and get some sleep. I'm pretty tired. But I'll catch up with you all later." She then got off the wall, and walked through the door and out of the room without so much as a glance at any of them.

Awkward silence stretched between the three of them as they all looked at the door where Gemina has left.

"It's not just me, that was weird wasn't it?" Azure asked.

John nodded in agreement. "Yeah. I wonder what's going on with her. Hey Riley, have you ever seen her like that?" He asked the bat Faunus.

Riley sighed. "Yes, only once. But I don't want to discuss it and I know she doesn't either." She said, stomping out his question before he could even ask it.

A sigh of annoyance threatened to escape his lips, so he said, "Well, what should we do then? How'd she bounce back from it last time?"

Riley looked to the floor. "It took her a lot of time to come back, but she wasn't the same afterwards." She thought for a few seconds. "After she wakes up, I'll go and talk to her. Then I can try and find out what's wrong."

John nodded. "In the meantime, how about you take care of your baby?" He suggested and motioned his head to her back.

She turned around and saw Azure lying on his back with his arms to the side, the ice pack still resting on his face. She just smiled and shook her head. "Come on. I'll take you to the nurse so we can see how bad it is." Riley said and tried to pull him up by an arm.

In response Azure only whined pathetically. "I can't. Just go on without me." He groaned dramatically.

A mischievous smile appeared on her face. "Well then I guess I'll just have to give this kiss to someone else."

Azure was instantly on his feet. "That's not funny." He deadpanned.

"Hey, you're the one who fell for it." Riley said deviously. Azure only scowled deeper, but it was quickly replaced when Riley smiled and kissed him on the cheek. His face flushed red slightly in embarrassment, but immediately turned into a scowl once again as John repeated his imitation of a whip with his hands when Riley's back was turned.

He held out a fist, and worked his other hand beside it as if he were working a crank as his middle finger slowly rose, making John chuckle.

"Okay, let's go." Riley said and pulled him to his feet. She grabbed the ice pack from where it had been thrown to the floor by Azure's irrational panic and placed it back on his face.

"Thank you." His muffled voice mumbled from behind the ice pack as his hand replaced hers.

Riley entwined their hands and led Azure out of the room. "You know where to find up if you need up John. We'll see you later. And don't worry about Gemina, I'm sure she'll be fine after I talk to her for bit."

John nodded. "Alright, I'll see you guys later." He echoed with a wave.

Azure flipped him the bird one last time before they turned the corner as his own goodbye, and John chuckled.

He looked around the room, now devoid of all life besides himself and a few flies. He sighed, and prepared to go find something to entertain himself with, when a deep voice reverberated through his mind.

 **"Since everyone is abandoning you, then may we join as well?"** John jumped as Strategos's voice suddenly came out of nowhere.

"What?" He asked puzzled and confused.

 **"We've decided that, if you allow it, we'd like to explore some more. Freedom is something we never had much of, and we'd like to experience it."**

John frowned. "And what prompted this sudden desire for freedom and exploration?" He asked. This was the first time they had ever asked to do something like this, not including Aries asking earlier, and he wasn't really sure what to say in response.

 **"We've seen how happy you and the other humans have been recently as you exert your own freedom, so we'd like to exert our own. Besides, most of the time the only thing we experience is whatever you experience. And your life becomes so bland and boring at times. Have you ever thought about just what we do inside your head when we're not summoned?"**

That made John pause. He honestly hadn't ever thought about it. "Not really. So what do you do?" He was happy no one was around to witness him talking to himself. They would've thought he was insane.

He heard the Knight make a noise like a snort, despite the fact that it didn't have a nose or even need oxygen. **"Very little. Disregarding our time attempting to decrypt the Relay to see if there are any further constructs, we can do nothing but look through your eyes and see what you see. Which, as I said, gets quite boring after a while."**

John scowled. "Well I'm sorry you find my life boring. If you want to leave, then go ahead." He snapped.

 **"Don't be like that. What do you think it'd be like if you were forced to see through the eyes of another person for most of your existence?"**

He hesitated, thinking for a second, then sighed. "I guess you're right. But I meant it, go ahead. Go do some exploring. Just _stay_ out of trouble and please try to stay out of view." John pleaded.

 **"We will try our best, I assure you."** With that, John poured his aura into the Relay. Recognizing the power and its direction, the Relay eagerly sucked in his soul energy and converted it into an acceptable substitute for maintaining its constructs. It then diverted the changed aura into certain sections of itself, and milliseconds later, three of its constructs were pushed into the physical world.

Remus didn't even spare a glance at any of them before the Soldier Commander dispersed into a white, swirling energy cloud and teleported through the wall. John sighed in disappointment. Despite his efforts, the Soldier had never spoken a word to him, nor did it ever show any interest in him whatsoever. At one point, John had been hoping to form a relationship with the Soldier, but its behavior and personality made him give up quickly.

Meanwhile, Harpy and Strategos remained where they appeared. Harpy made a squawk, and Strategos said, **"Don't take it personally. He's just like that. He doesn't talk to us much either."**

John just nodded. "I still don't fully understand why you want to roam around, but I won't keep you trapped in my head when you don't want to be. Just be careful with what you do, will you?"

The Knight nodded. **"Of course. I will return later."** Strategos said, before briefly glowing blue, condensing into a single, hovering blue sphere, before disappearing a second later. Leaving no sign of the Knight ever being there.

He turned away from where Strategos left, and turned to Harpy. "I don't suppose you have anything to say?" He asked jokingly.

Harpy squawked angrily, evidently not amused by Johns sense of humor.

"I'm just kidding, relax." He said placidly.

The Watcher huffed in irritation as its tiny eyes narrowed. It floated closely and softly nuzzled against his head with a quiet hum.

John chuckled as he rubbed the back of the Watcher affectionately. "Yeah, yeah. I like you to. Now go on, before I change my mind." He joked.

Harpy gave one last hum before floating towards the door. John stifled a laugh when the Watchers wings were to big to fit through the doorway and hit the frame. Harpy shot a glare at its human before folding its wings behind its back and floating out of the room.

John only stood there as an uncomfortable silence filled the room. He and Ruby were supposed to hang out after his battle, but she'd never showed up or texted him. "Well..." He said to himself. "I guess I'll just wander around or something." He shrugged to himself and set off to do just that.

* * *

 **"Do not allow yourself to be distracted. We all have our jobs, and must carry them out."**

Strategos sent his message to his fellow Alphas along their link. Each gave their own form on confirmation for receiving the message, before each retreated back to their own minds to work on their job independently.

Their plead to explore the area and exert their freedom was nothing more then a ploy to get out of John's head and carry out their missions. The Knight did regret deceiving his master in the way he did, but it was far simpler then trying to explain the situation.

But now that he was free, it was time to carry out his own mission, assigned to him by the monitor. To find the meddler that allowed the Flood into the facility.

Such a blank order would've outlined an impossible task to a person. Finding a human or Faunus that might've triggered the release clamps and breached containment, it could've been any one person from any of the four kingdoms, or from the settlements littered around the world. For someone like John, an order like that would be impossible to carry out.

However, Strategos and his fellow Alphas were not people. They were constructs. The minds of sentient creatures inside the mechanical bodies of Forerunners creations. Their abilities were superior in almost every way to what a brain could accomplish. They could command their bodies to react much faster then the human brain could. They could dodge a bullet if they so choosed. They could calculate the odds and percentages of a situation and choose the most favorable result and how to achieve it. They could calculate and eliminate variables an an exponential rate, allowing them to isolate the most probably outcome almost instantly. The most logical action was always present in their mind, and their bodies were spring loaded to act on it at a moments notice.

As a Promethean Knight, Strategos did not see the world as a human would. Where a human would see a butterfly landing on a flower to drink some nectar as beautiful, Strategos would see it as a biological organism carrying out its purpose in nature. When it would land on the flower, he would identify the species, then calculate how many particles of pollen it was collecting, how much nectar it was drinking, and when it leaped into the air, he could calculate its wingbeats per second to identify its current state of health.

When a human saw a house being constructed, they would try to imagine what the house would look like when it was finished. If Strategos saw it, he would analyze the structure and extrapolate its appearance in the end. Then he would calculate the cost of the materials, the company building it and how much they would charge for the house, as well as the total value and overall price the owner would have to pay. He would then sift through personnel files and isolate the number of people capable of paying for such a house. He would then search the social media sites of those people for any mention of a new house, and would continue until he found the owner. All of this could be done in just a few seconds.

This was how he always was, constantly calculating every situation as if it were an equation. He didn't act based on thought. Everything was an equation, to be calculated and responded to in the most logical manner. Even his emotions were nothing more then a collection of programs, algorithms, and subroutines.

However, he had been adding new algorithms and subroutines to his matrix. Strategos had been experimenting with many new programs to try and make his personality more human-like, so he could interact with John better. He wasn't sure what John thought of him now, but Strategos liked to think that he'd succeeded. Strategos was especially proud with his sarcasm subroutine. It felt natural to have, as if he'd always had it. He knew it was possible that he was a sarcastic person before his composition.

Strategos didn't remember his past life, back when he was of flesh and blood like the humans on this planet. Nor did any of the other Alphas. He couldn't even remember what species he had once belonged to. But that was for the best. To suddenly recall an entire past life in a fleshy body he no longer had, relationships with friends and family that he'd never see again, a home that no longer existed-

Strategos shuddered involuntarily as his programming began creeping deeper into his memory and towards the forbidden files, before being immediately blocked by an impenetrable firewall. Designed to stop him from accessing anything related to his former life. Such compartmentalization necessary for him to function. For if all of his hidden memories were suddenly released, his matrix wouldn't be able to cope, and he'd likely be driven to insanity.

Strategos growled and shook his head as his programming once again attempted to access the forbidden files. He wouldn't lie to himself, he was curious what was behind the firewall. It was like having a locked chest that you knew held something valuable, but couldn't get the key to open it. And if you actually managed to find the key and open it, while you would be graced with the treasure inside, you would also be infected with a possibly fatal disease. For Strategos, it was a constant conflict between his programming, personality, curiosity, and self-restraint. He desperately wanted to remember his past life, but knew that he couldn't. It was a frustrating enigma.

The algorithms that helped Strategos's core logic cautioned him not to get frustrated. But they approved of his justification: The locked memories were a waste of space if they weren't going to be integrated into his matrix. But he could never find it in himself to get rid of them. It was the only thing he had to remind himself that he wasn't just a mindless automaton designed to carry out orders without question. Additionally, he knew that deep in his artificial equivalent of a soul, he hoped that he would one day get to see those memories.

Since the troubling thoughts had first entered his mind, the temperature inside Strategos's core structure had jumped a few degrees, a real, physical reaction to his internal struggle of emotions. Strategos opened several vents along his large back to allow the humid afternoon air into his internal structure, giving an equivalent of a sigh as his emotions were reined in.

While his emotion-restraint algorithms told him it was a perfectly acceptable reaction to thoughts such as those, it was clear his thought-systematizing subroutines were not doing their job at keeping him from thinking down such paths. Then again, he never did maintenance to those particular programs either.

Forcing his thoughts away, he pushed his mind back into his physical body and out of his digital one. He created a temporary program to suppress all thoughts not related to his mission. Finding someone with an aura signature that matches that of the meddler.

Several months ago, the Monitor of the installation made two major breakthroughs in aura research. 135 Unhallowed Curator discovered that each person has a unique aura signature, one that is distinct to that individual. The other development was that a person leaves tiny parts of aura everywhere they go, and can remain there for up to three days. When the Flood were released into the facility, 135 Unhallowed Curator found an aura signature on the panel used to free them. That signature was then passed on to Strategos and his fellow Alphas, along with orders to find the host of the aura signature.

However, their efforts haven't yielded any results. The monitor had sent Stealth Sentinels to the other three Kingdoms, and while they had found numerous people with aura signatures similar to the one that released the flood, none of them were a realistic match. That was irritating to them all.

The Monitor hypothesized that the meddler may have changed their aura signature somehow. But they had no idea how the meddler would know to do that, nor how it could.

However, there was one identical match in the City of Vale. Or rather, below the City of Vale. More specifically, below Beacon. Thanks to the efforts of a Stealth Sentinel, they knew that far below Beacon, in something akin to a primitive stasis chamber, was the Fall Maiden. What was left of her, at least. Drained of her power and trapped in her mind, but an identical match for the unknown meddler.

Initially, the Monitor suspected that it might've actually been the Fall Maiden. But when the Sentinel took some readings, 135 Unhallowed Curator realized that she was suffering from muscle atrophy. So it couldn't possibly have been her. She had to have been laying there for several months at least.

That left only one possible option. The False Maiden.

Whoever the Meddler was that released the Flood, was also Professor Ozpin's False Maiden. Which meant if they find the person they could, as the humans said, kill two birds with one stone.

Hot white air blew out of the vents on Strategos's back as the moist air turned to steam inside his mechanical body, the closest thing to a sigh he could give. He had already wasted so much time on his thoughts. He had told his fellow Alphas not to get distracted, but then he'd gone and wasted nearly twenty minutes.

Strategos took a moment and surveyed his surroundings. He had been thinking so deeply his location had temporarily been purged from his central core to make more room for his thoughts. He was standing atop one of Beacons large towers. He thought it was the best place to look for the Meddler. If the Meddler was in fact the False Maiden, then it was likely that they would be seeking the Fall Maiden to steal the rest of her powers, just as Ozpin said.

He quickly scanned the area, his orange tinted vision panning across the schools huge courtyard. The aura signature of each individual in view was analyzed, cataloged, filtered, and either filed away inside his memory banks or disposed of, depending on each signatures similarities to his target. However, none stood out, nor were any of them particularly close to being a match.

Strategos paused the process as the sudden sounds of combat reached his auditory receptors. His vision shifted direction to face it, and magnified his view. He saw a crowd of people in a circle, surrounding two people engaged in combat. He tilted his head. Beacons courtyard was a strange place to be fighting.

His curiosity demanding to be sated, condensed his body into a single blue sphere as he activated his teleportation matrix and traveled from the top of Beacon school to the top of one of the huge stone archways closer to the fight.

He glanced down at the circle and scanned both combatants. One was a human male, wearing grey, white, and black clothing with a red cape. He carried a large broadsword as a weapon, and had had red eyes. A curious color for a human, but then again, he surmised, many people on this planet had odd colored eyes.

The mans opponent was a female, also human. She wore primarily white clothing, and had equally white hair. She carried a presence of professionalism, and carried a long rapier. At first glance, she looked very much like Weiss.

Each one attacked and defended against each other with a flurry of parry's and strikes. Their actions were so fast that, had he been a human, he probably wouldn't have been able to keep up. But he analyzed and measured each movement with extreme precision. After several seconds he deduced that, if he were to go against one of them, they could most certainly put up a considerable challenge.

It had been so long since he'd had a good, equal fight. The closest thing he'd fought lately that matched his strength, besides the Flood Juggernaut several days ago.

Strategos shuddered. He had come very close to death that day, had it not been for John recalling him at just the right time.

He was also frustrated. He had the chance for a good fight, but instead the Juggernaut had ambushed them, and tore off his wings. If they had met each other face to face, things would've ended differently.

Strategos pushed the thoughts out of his mind and turned back to the circle, only to see that they were gone. They had moved out of the makeshift fighting ring and were now jumping all across the courtyard, but continuing to attack one another with firearms and swords.

As his auditory receptors filtered the numerous voices from the crowd, they picked up two very familiar voices. Belonging to Weiss and Ruby, each sounded like they were cheering on one of the two fighters.

Strategos tilted his head curiously. There was something similar about Weiss and the fighters. He ran a deep scanning sweep over the two girls and two fighters, and comparing DNA and aura signatures, he realized what he was seeing. Weiss was related to the female fighter. That explained her cheering, but not Ruby's. He surmised that perhaps he was a friend, but lacked sufficient data to prove it.

He looked right at the stone arch vibrated beneath him, and was stunned to see the female combatant quite literally running up the wall while the male fired rounds from his swords hilt.

Not wanting to be involved, and still curious about the girls relationships with the fighters, he teleported down from the arch and to the ground below directly behind Ruby and those that surrounded her. Everyone was so enraptured by the fight, no one noticed him appear. Up on the archway he wouldn't have been visible unless they looked right at him. But now he was out in the wide open.

He looked towards Ruby and Weiss. Neither one had noticed his appearance or heard any of the people around him. His wings fluttered eagerly as an entertaining thought crossed his mind.

He stood up straighter and raised his height as high as he could, and then slowly walked forwards behind Ruby and Weiss. As his shadow dwarfed several people, they looked back and saw his intimidating form.

They quickly got out of his way.

"Hey, did it suddenly get darker?" Ruby asked when his shadow covered them.

Both girls looked back and, when they were only met with his metal chest, looked up.

Weiss's eyes widened as she hastily took several steps back. Meanwhile Ruby had quite literally jumped into the air from surprise and fallen on her but.

If Strategos could have laughed, he would've. He lowered his frame back to his original height and glanced down at Ruby, still breathing heavily from the scare.

He reconfigured the incineration cannon on his right arm, and a metal handle popped out of the bottom, which he then offered down to Ruby.

The red reaper glared at him. "That- w-wasn't funny!" She shouted, but grabbed the handle and allowed him to pull her to her feet. He just shrugged in response.

Ruby huffed and wiped the dirt from her skirt. "Why would you even do that! were you trying to scare us!?" She gritted her teeth when he nodded.

"Yeah!? Well... Just don't do it again!" She yelled, realizing there wasn't much she could actually do to the Knight. "What do you want? Or did you only come here to scare us? Is John around? Normally you... Things, are only around when he is. Where is he?"

Strategos held up his sword in a stop gesture. The best he could at least. He then pointed his sword down to the ground and used it to write the number 3, before pointing to the large Colosseum in the sky.

She tilted her head curiously. "Um... What does that mean?"

Strategos huffed. He tried again, pointing at her mouth, the number 3 etched into the stone, and back at the Colosseum. He waited for her response as she stared at the flying arena.

"I still don't get it.

Strategos sagged. It was times like this he wished he could verbally talk. Fortunately for him, Weiss chose that moment to return to the conversation.

"I think it's trying to answer your third question. Saying that John is back at the arena." Weiss guessed correctly, and Strategos confirmed it by nodding.

"Oh, I see." Ruby said. A few seconds later, her eyes widened and her hands flew to her head. "Oh no! I completely forgot that we were supposed to hang out after his battle!"

"And instead you went chasing after me. What a terrific partner you are." Weiss praised sarcastically.

Strategos interrupted by pointing his sword at her, then at the female fighter still in combat with the male, and then tilted his head.

Her eyes narrowed. "Winter? What about her?"

He pointed at Weiss, then Winter as she'd been named, and then to one of the orange lines that ran down his arm.

Her eyes scrunched together in confusion. "I don't understand."

Steam blew out his back again in a sigh, startling both girls with the noise. He then began scratching in the dirt again until he had written 'BLOOD'.

Weiss blinked, then got it. "Oh, yes. We are blood related. She's my sister." She explained, mercifully silencing the algorithm that simulated his curiosity.

"Yeah, and the other's my uncle Qrow!" Only for Ruby to reactivate it.

He looked her in the eye and tilted his head. He pointed at her, then the fighter she named Qrow, and then back to the word he sketched in the dirt and scratched it out.

She visibly saddened. "Oh, uh, no. We aren't related by blood I guess. But he's related to my sister!" She explained, with a tone to her voice that almost sounded like desperation.

Strategos sensed her heartbeat become uneven, indicating that she was getting upset. So he chose not to press the issue further, no matter how much his curiosity algorithm demanded he should.

With most of his curiosity sated, he prepared to teleport away to continue his search when something caught his eye. It was two metal automatons, both damaged and deactivated, lying prone on the ground several meters away. One was missing its head, but the other appeared intact.

"Ugh, that barbarian destroyed those Knights for no good reason. He's definitely going to be charged for that." Weiss growled when she traced his line of sight to the machines.

His curiosity algorithm went into overdrive, and he found himself walking towards the intact 'Knight' as Weiss had named it.

"Wait, where are you going?" Strategos ignored Ruby's question, instead continuing towards it.

He looked down at the machine. It narrowly resembled a Promethean Soldier, but looked considerably frailer and less armored. But that was understandable, since it needed much circuitry and moving parts to make it function. Most of it was white, but had several black parts, including its visor.

Strategos reconfigured his incineration cannon and pressed it to the gut of the deactivated robot. Its metal plates shifted around and pressed against the robot, turning his weapon into a makeshift grabber. He tightened his grip and lifted it effortlessly, its weight was nothing for him.

His orange eyes glowed brighter, and a second later, with a loud metallic screech that startled many people around him, two orange beams shot out of his eyes and onto the automaton and through the inside of the machine. He analyzed each piece that made up the Knight and determined their use, as well as examining its hardware and cyber defenses.

He was vaguely aware of people speaking around him, and the sounds of combat getting closer, but he heeded them no mind. Not even when a bullet glanced off his shields.

After a few more moments, he finished analyzing the majority of the machine, and he decided his final thoughts on the machine.

To put it simply, he was not impressed.

The machine was just as fragile as it appeared. It was clear it relied mainly on attacking its enemies from range with the weapon it carried. Its cybernetic defenses were practically nonexistent. It would've taken him less than a second to break into its core processor and take control if he wanted to. He expected better from the so-called most technologically advanced kingdom in the world. These automatons did not deserve the title of 'Knight.'

"You!" Strategos ceased his scanning as he heard a powerful voice directed at him.

He turned his head and looked around. Qrow and Winter had ceased fighting, but A large man wearing a white and blue suit with a red tie. He had black hair, and a strip of metal above his right eye. Strategos found that peculiar, and ran a deep scan. He was surprised to see that almost half of his body was actually made up of metal instead of flesh. He also noticed that four of the so called 'Knights' were pointing their weapons at him.

He internally scoffed. These 'Knights' were nothing. They didn't deserve the title. They were more like heretics.

If the metal man was unsettled in some way about speaking to Strategos, he didn't show it on his face. "I don't know what you are, but you are currently in possession of Atlas property. Release it immediately." He said in a calm, but stern voice.

Strategos wanted to continue his examination of the machine. But he did as the metal man asked and released the disabled mech, causing it to fall to the ground with a loud crash. The metal mans gaze hardened, clearly not impressed.

"Step away now." He ordered.

Strategos let out a sound like a scoff. He admitted to himself that the metal man had, how did humans put it, 'balls of steel'. It was either that, or he was very arrogant to believe he could just command him like he was one of the mindless puppets beside him. The metal man held no authority over him, and only John could command him.

He made this claim known by priming his incineration canon. It hummed and glowed as five antimatter streams were infused with concentrated explosive particles. His sword glowed and his wings twitched irritably. He didn't particularly want a fight, but he wouldn't be against it if the man attempted it.

"We have already had one battle destroy my courtyard today. I'd prefer if there wasn't another."

All heads turned to see the Headmaster of Beacon calmly strolling towards them. "General, please do not try to command this... Being." He looked at Strategos. "And you, please do not attempt to provoke a fight. This can easily end without conflict, and I'd really prefer if it did."

 _"General?"_ Strategos thought. The 'General' and Strategos looked to each other. Neither wanted to back down, each one wanted to assert their dominance.

But after a long period of time, the man sighed and held up a hand, and the Heretic Knights lowered their weapons.

Irritated, but willing to follow suit, Strategos willed his cannon silent, and its glow and hum both dissipated as he lowered it.

"Thank you. Now, how about we clear this area so Glynda can fix it, shall we?" Professor Ozpin said. Like the tide, everyone began clearing out and walking away. Eventually there were only a few people remaining in the courtyard.

Strategos glanced at the Headmaster, who stared back scrutinizingly.

The General walked up to the Headmaster, all the while keeping his gaze on Strategos. "Oz, what is that-" His eyes scanned the length of Strategos' body. "Creature?"

"A machine made by one of my students. He used one during the tournament. I assume you didn't see it?" Ozpin asked with a small smile.

The General only looked at the Knight harder. Strategos glared right back at the man. He blew steam out the vents on his back in a hiss, startling several people. Then, without warning and with only a single glance to Ruby, he teleported away. He knew he'd wasted enough time with unnecessary confrontations. It was time to get back to work.

* * *

 **A/N: And done. Ugh, this chapter was a hassle. But I really do like how things turned out. So we got a look into how Strategos thinks as a Promethean Knight. This was a part I really enjoyed doing. Now if there are any programmers reading my story who are frustrated if I got something relating to Strategos computer side wrong then I'm sorry. I'm not an expert when it comes tho those kinds of things. But I do hope you guys enjoyed that part. I like it, but I admit it still rang some alarm bells while I wrote it. I hope it was just me being paranoid. We also saw that something happened to Gemina, and got a little glimpse into her past. You'll all learn more in the next chapter. Also, if you guys liked the look into Strategos's mind, let me know. I might give you a look into the minds of the other Alphas.**

 **Now, I also have something else to tell you all.** **I've been thinking about moving Remnant's Reclamation further into the Halo Universe. I don't want to spoil anything, but I want you all to know that there would be plot buildup to the point when things swapped around, however the introduction of Halo content would be instant and would leave a lot of the RWBY content behind. But a little while after that, the two contents would merge into one, but with RWBY being primarily dominant. Please vote on the poll on my profile and tell me if you want to see this happen. And if my own opinion matters to you, then know that I would really like to do this. But I won't ruin the story for you all if most of the people reading it are happy with RWBY being in the center.**

 **I make no promises for a quick chapter 14. I'm not sure when it'll be done. Sorry, but that's the truth.**

 **Please leave a review and tell me what you think, and as always, I'll see you next time.**

 **And please go and vote on the poll!**


	14. Chapter 14 - Metaphysical Part 1

**A/N: Done. I'm sorry for the delay, but as you all know, I'm not the fastest writer. But I have to say, I was disappointed by the amount of people who went and voted on the poll. At the very least, you guys and girls could go and click the 'I don't care' option. I'd appreciate it if you did.** **Regardless, please enjoy.**

 **Reviews**

 **Animeak116: No. That doesn't make sense. Not for my story. Also, please don't write a little script again like you did. That wastes space. If you want to suggest something, PM me. But I'm not doing what you suggested. While I appreciate suggestions, I have a (mostly) clear idea of what I'm going to do. And your idea simply doesn't fit.**

 **thermalsniper7: Your review could not be more unhelpful.**

 **Jonathan: I don't think so. But it's a bit premature to say since we aren't close to the ending yet.**

 **Guest: In a way, yes. I would say spoiler alert, but you asked.**

 **Guest: Thank you, and your welcome. As for the weapons, I'm taking a bit from both, yes.**

 **Regarding your second question, absolutely. As for your orbital protective plate idea, it's not a bad idea. But at the moment I have no intention of giving anyone any form of forerunner armour protection.**

 **And yes, I'm aware of HiddenXperia. I go to him often. But thank you anyways.**

 **dragoncraftex: Heh, I guess that's an apt description.**

 **Jack54311: All you have to do is go to my profile, and at the top it will have a poll link which says 'Vote Now!' You click on it and then it'll give you your choices. And thank you. I'm glad you enjoyed the chapter. And yes, he'll realise it.**

 **darkromdemon: Thank you. I'm happy you liked it. As for Ironwood, I really never was planning to do anything special with him. But since I've been getting so many reviews regarding him doing something, I just may have to give him a little more spotlight.**

 **Spartensneverdie312: I agree.**

 **Random Dude: Thank you, and yes I am. Unfortunately, this is the usual wait time for this story. The simple fact is, I am not a fast writer. Add in the fact that I'm in the process of figuring out where to go after high school and things are even worse then usual.**

* * *

Remnant's Reclamation

* * *

The sound of heavy footsteps echoed off the walls of the empty hallway, and for what had to be the hundredth time, John sighed a sigh of melancholy.

On his way back to his room, he had taken the time to think. His mind took the opportunity with vigour and thought up a storm of ideas. One topic that had been predominant in that storm was that of the Flood and the Forerunners. The deadliest threat to the galaxy, and their greatest opponent that nearly exterminated them.

There were so many things he still wanted to know about them both. What were the Forerunners like? What was the Forerunner-Flood war like? How did the Halo rings work? Why does the Flood seek to consume everything sentient? There were so many questions, and so few answers.

He pulled up his sleeve and glanced down at the device clamped to his arm. The armour ability, or rather, the _aura ability_ , had been with him since the day he fought the Flood with his team and his mother. It was comfortable, and it wasn't really any different from wearing a watch. Just a little heavier. He knew where it came from and what it did. It was created by the Forerunners and allowed him to see objects and people through walls. But despite the fact that he knew those things and was comfortable with wearing it, he still had absolutely no idea how it worked. For all he knew, it would explode if he somehow used it wrong.

He sighed again. He hadn't had time to ask Hallow about anything that he wanted to know either. What with the trip to Azure's old mansion and Ruby's home, and then preparation for the Vytal Festival. But on the way back to his room, he realized that there was no reason he couldn't do it now. The only thing stopping him was the fact that he'd forgotten his Scroll in his dorm.

He was thinking so deeply he almost walked straight past his door. He quickly backtracked and organised his scattered thoughts back into order.

He reached out to grab the doorknob and open it, before remembering Gemina saying that she also planned on coming back to their room. To avoid any possible embarrassment, he knocked on the door and asked, "Gemina? Are you decent?"

He got no answer, and he knocked again. But when he still only received silence, he pulled up his sleeve and tapped the glowing orange diamond of the aura ability. An orange pulse combed through the wall of the room and over everything inside, giving every object a blue hue and outlining them in green. The one thing that stood out was the green lump laying motionlessly on one of the beds.

As carefully and quietly as he could, he opened the door and peeked inside.

Sure enough, there was Gemina. Laying silently on her bed, still wearing the same clothes she'd fought in. It looked like she'd just walked into the room, flopped down on the bed and passed out.

He stealthily creeped through the door way and shut the door behind him. He glanced back at his sleeping teammate, and was thankful to see she hadn't even stirred.

John quietly walked across the room and grabbed his Scroll off of the dresser in the corner. He checked its battery, and was pleased to see it still had over half its charge. He would probably need it, since their conversation was unlikely to be a short one.

As he prepared to leave, his attention was distracted by a pained moan. He looked over, and saw that Gemina was no longer sleeping peacefully. Instead, she was shuddering violently and had a look of panic and desolation on her face.

Concerned, he set his Scroll back down and walked over to her withering form.

He had noticed that she hadn't been the same since the end of the fight. She'd been acting withdrawn, and overall emotionless. It was something he'd never seen her do. As long as he'd known her, Gemina had always been very expressive and outgoing with her emotions. When they'd first met, she wasn't afraid to let them know that she didn't like them. When they fought the Flood deep down in the facility, she'd openly expressed to him that she was scarred. Emotionless wasn't a side he'd ever seen of her, and if he was being honest, it was a little unsettling.

He wasn't sure what had happened to her, but it was obvious to anyone who knew her that _something_ had clearly happened.

He put a hand on her shoulder and shook it gently. "Gemina, wake up. You're having a nightmare."

She didn't give any sign of waking up, so he shook her rougher. But she still didn't wake, and her look of pain only seemed to get worse.

He could see sweat beading up on her forehead. Worried, he held a hand to her face to check her temperature. But something very different happened instead.

As his hand grazed her face, everything was forced out of his view, and the familiar look of tunnel vision engulfed his sight. He was internally panicking as his entire body seized and locked up. He anxiously waited for the foreboding voice that normally accompanied the vision change. But after several seconds passed, there was no voice. No, instead a darkness engulfed his vision, and he was suddenly somewhere else.

* * *

An orange pulse brushed through the wall of the room and over everything inside. It contained typical things associated with a bedroom. A bed, tables, chairs, and books. But luckily no people.

Aries carefully crawled up the wall and through the open window, swaying his large mechanical head from side to side just to make sure the room was empty.

Satisfied that it was safe to do so, he jumped from the window sill and landed on the floor with a soft thump. The Crawler's orange eyes gazed around the room, looking for an object of interest, something that could assist in its mission. It had taken several hours for Aries to cross Vale and make it to Beacon, and the Crawler absolutely refused to leave without some sort of Intel. Relevant or not.

The room of Cinder Fall had to contain something. Even if he and the other Alpha's were wrong, and Cinder's aura signature similarity to the Maiden was purely coincidental, he had to confirm it.

As his optical sensors scanned over the interior, Aries saw some sort of tablet sitting on one of the tables next to the door. A perfect entry point.

 _"There."_ His spikes quivered in excitement. Now was his chance to actually learn something that could help in their efforts.

Aries leaped up onto the table, his sudden landing causing many objects to topple over and fall on the floor, and the table to creak under his weight. But he paid them no mind. The Crawler looked down at the device, sending a scanning pulse into it and identifying its select parts. He took a moment and reconfigured his signal transmitter, and then sent out modified telecommunication signals to wirelessly connect with the object.

If an outsider were observing the Crawlers actions, they would likely wonder how it was possible for an Alien AI Construct more then 100,000 years old, to interface with a modern piece of human technology. The answer was quite simple really.

Thanks to the Librarian and her actions, a portion of Humanity had been implanted with geas. Also called genesongs, they referred to a genetic command imposed on an organism or species. Under the influence of a geas, an organism could be given a set of subconscious orders that would either be specific to that organism, or passed on to their children, in some cases lasting several generations. They assisted Remnant's Humans and Faunus and helped guide them along a certain technological path, one which would generate similarities between Human and Forerunner technology. Thus, the similarities allowed interactions between the two species technology, despite the immense amount of time between their development. But just because they could interact, didn't mean that connecting was a flawless operation.

Aries growled as at first the tablet didn't recognize the electromagnetic radiation he was sending it. In laymen's terms, the wi-fi he was attempting to send was incorrect. What he was sending was more similar to X-rays.

He tried modifying the wavelength of the signal, and was met with slightly more positive results. The tablet somewhat recognised his signals, accepting them for a moment, before rejecting them, and then repeating. Only a part of his signal was being received, which meant only a part of his signal was actually the correct signal the tablet used.

He extended the wavelength further, and was finally met with success. The tablet was receiving and acknowledging his modified signal. He had done it.

Aries allowed himself a low trill of accomplishment. But while he had succeeded in connecting to the device, it was now the matter of accessing it.

A brief scan of it's digital outer system gave him little insight into how he should continue. Its system wasn't that unfamiliar from a Forerunner server, but the method of how it worked was.

He knew that a device so small could never hope to contain even a _hundredth_ of his complicated matrix. With this in mind, he swiftly, but carefully, crafted a modified infiltration program with augmentations to transmit and communicate though the unique electromagnetic radiation that the tablet used for communication, and with the purpose of carrying out his will without having to insert a large portion of his matrix into it. He packed as many beneficial subroutines as he could into the program while taking care to keep it small enough to access the device hopefully undetected.

When he was satisfied with the program, he took another brief look over it and tweaked it slightly. Once the final modifications were complete, he then began modifying it to operate more effectively within the tablet's systems instead of a Forerunner server which it was currently accustomed to.

Aries would admit, it was a challenge. Modifying a program to operate in a completely new environment. But after nearly five minutes, practically an eternity in AI terms, he was finished. In a Forerunner server, the program would have been state of the art and highly effective. But thanks to the foreign modifications in order to function in a foreign environment, it was everything but state of the art. It was crude, rudimentary, and foreign. But it would have to do.

He gave it the signal to transmit, and it did. Through the air at the speed of light it travelled from the complex systems of the Crawler and into the primitive systems of the unfamiliar tablet.

It entered, and while the transition from system to system did cause the subroutines that held the program together to weaken and stretch, it remained intact and proceeded to carry out its first function flawlessly. It sent several streams of data back to the Crawler, which were then used as anchors to make a connection to Aries' mind.

Aries felt his matrix fluctuate as a very small portion of his mind was surgically separated from the majority and forced to connect to the program within the tablet. Then, the detached section of his mind left the realm of the physical world to enter the digital one.

* * *

Through the eyes of Aries within the tablet, he stood within a realm of pure red code. Code and subroutines, calculations and equations, these were the building blocks of the digital world. For any civilization.

Aries himself took the same apperance that he took outside in the physical world, of a Promethean Crawler, but surrounded in the glowing orange code of the infiltration program. Unlike the tablet systems made up of only Human numbers and letters, the infiltration code was an amalgamation of both the basic Human letter and number system, as well as complex Forerunner symbols. The twisted result of Aries' unfamiliarity with Human systems and his somewhat successful attempt to mimic them.

In front of him, stood a large, red wall of constantly shifting code. The tablet's 'firewall' for lack of a better term. It stretched to the limit of his view in every direction, left, right, up, and down. It surrounded the interior, and wasn't possible to go around it. It wasn't that kind of wall. He was in the very thin space between the firewall and the edge of the system. In physical terms, he was standing just outside the lock-screen.

He sent a weak signal at the firewall, probing it. The defense was surprisingly strong, for a human device. But if he were in a Forerunner server, he would have been able to slip through undetected practically instantly. Maybe even several times back and forth. However, he was unfortunately not in a Forerunner server, and he had no idea how to get past the firewall.

He hypothesized about creating a form of 'cyber plow,' to forcibly push his way in. But he had a strong suspicion that, if their hunch was correct and Cinder was in fact not who she said she was, there would be trap based subroutines inside the firewall that by the time he succeeded in breaking though the unfamiliar firewall, any traps within would have deleted all important information.

Another alternative was to create a password cracking algorithm to simply open the firewall and let himself in without issue. But there simply wasn't enough time. Even with the entirety of his matrix working 110%, he couldn't go through all possible combinations due to the large number of allowed digits in the password without taking hours. It was doable, no question, but not with the amount of time he had. Aries knew Cinder could come back at any second.

He noticed several codes pass by him, going both directions. Multi-colored information traveling into the tablet and red code coming out of it. He thought for a second, and quickly surmised that he could use the code entering the tablet's firewall as a kind of camouflage. It was clearly entering through the firewall without triggering it, so why couldn't he?

It was a more efficient plan then executing a full assault on the firewall. He was in unfamiliar systems and by the time he succeeded in breaking though the firewall, any traps within could have deleted all important information. He also didn't have the time to run any password cracking subroutines. There simply wasn't enough time.

Deciding on the course of action, he swiftly moved closer to one of the streams of data entering the firewall, a white one, and scanned it. It took several moments, but when he believed he would able to, he commanded orders to the infiltration program's own defensive code to predict and mimic the code of the strand in front of him.

The orange code that made up the infiltration programs own firewall slowly changed color, now a constantly churning oval of primarily white code of numbers, letters, and symbols with streaks of orange occasionally appearing. The program was having trouble maintaining its cover, and only through Aries' own will was he able to stop it from completely falling apart.

Worried that the longer it tried preserve its veil of deception the more it would deteriorate, Aries quickly ordered the program into the stream of data and was carried along by its current towards the firewall. As it neared the perimeter, Aries forced his will further onto the program and struggled to keep its normal code from showing through. He was partially successful, and as his portion of the stream of code moved through the firewall, very few spots of the programs firewall reverted, and when it did it did not last long.

In the spots where the Crawlers' program's original code did show through, the red code around the area glowed momentarily as they recognized something that didn't belong. But fortunately, since the areas of reversion only lasted briefly, it wasn't enough to trigger any alarms.

Aries and his program made it through the tablet's firewall without incident. The moment he came through on the other side, the Crawler jumped out of the data stream to avoid being processed through the tablet's equivalent of a CPU, and thus remaining undetected as he moved into an inactive portion of the system.

He glanced around the system. It was primarily made up of red code, obviously, but multiple streams of different colored code came in from outside the firewall. However their divergence did not last long after entering the system. Like leading a herd of lambs to slaughter, each stream entered into the system only to be processed and converted into more red code. More information. It was probable that if he tried to interrupt any of the streams, some sort of alarm would be triggered.

He traveled deeper into the system, looking for something he could access. But he paused when he came across a very peculiar sight.

A large sphere of pure black code hovered motionlessly near the heart of the tablet's system. It wasn't doing anything. It was not receiving nor sending data. It was not interacting with any of the red code, and vice versa. It didn't even appear to even be calculating anything. It was just... There. Hovering motionlessly in cyberspace with no obvious function. It was far larger then Aries as well.

Its different coding and inert state led him to believe it was some sort of virus. Having somehow infiltrated the tablet and remained inactive in a mostly empty part of the tablet's system.

His built in curiosity made him wonder how it got past the firewall, and if it did so in a manner similar to him. Or if it had somehow been introduced to the system by direct contact with another device. He lacked sufficient data to draw a plausible conclusion, and was still unaware as to its function. But he was confident it had nothing to do with his search, and so left it alone.

Soon, after he left the black code sphere, he found a good place to start searching. It was a portion of files that weren't too heavily encrypted based on their exterior walls. He believed that he could infiltrate it with enough time and caution, and that it would help give him experience to access other, more heavily guarded files.

 _"Perfect."_ Aries thought. He did his best to strengthen his camouflage, and then started digging.

* * *

Swimmingly.

It was an adverb. It meant smoothly and satisfactorily. An apt description of how Dr. Arthur Watts currently saw things progressing.

Everything was going perfectly according to plan. That idiot Roman was aboard the Atlesian Battleship, and his little midget friend was standing by. The White Fang were being the obedient little dogs the circle needed them to be. And finally, his virus was working exactly as planned. It had already spread into the CCT network undetected, and was continually printing copies of itself into whatever device came in contact.

So, things were going _swimmingly_.

Of course, there had been the little hiccup some weeks ago. When the operation underneath Mountain Glenn had been discovered and things were forced to progress ahead of schedule. But in the end, everything had worked out in their favor.

Watts allowed himself a sigh of content as sat down in his desk chair with a steaming cup of coffee. His office was fairly empty, for the most part. A plant here, a clock there, nothing special. Just enough to make it feel like a place of tedious work.

He took a sip of his beverage and placed it down on a coaster before turning to face his computer. Every so often he liked to take a look at the progress of his virus. Just to amuse himself during his free time. It was always nice to see how his talents outmatched even Atlas' best programmers. If the Atlas military had even half a brain, they would have erected far better cyber security then what was currently in place.

A quick power up and click of the mouse was all that was needed before a full report of his virus' progress was shown on the screen to him.

A pleased smirk grew on his face as he saw that his virus had not only infiltrated the Vytal Colosseum successfully, but had also somehow made its way into the scroll of arguably the most powerful person on Remnant. General James Ironwood, commander of the entire Atlesian military and headmaster of the second most popular huntsman academy in the world.

"Oh, now this is simply too perfect. " Watts said with a chuckle of both delight and malice. "I wonder what skeletons you have in your closet general. How about we take a look?"

It only took a few taps on the keyboard for him to pull up the contents of the Scroll. He had access to everything. Text messages, contacts, pictures, videos, and files of all different types.

"Oh, now this looks interesting." He said as his eyes came across the title for a schematic of some sort. He clicked on it, but was instead rewarded with red bolded text.

'ACCESS DENIED. PLEASE INPUT SECURITY CREDENTIALS.'

"Oh please." He scoffed as he began typing on his keyboard. "When will the world learn that locked doors are simply asking to be opened?"

It took less then half a minute to gain entry to the file. But when he did, he was not disappointed.

 **TOP SECRET**

 **ATLAS MILITARY**

 **REQUIRED CLEARANCE LEVEL: ALPHA-BLUE**

 **FAILURE TO MEET** **REQUIREMENTS** **WILL RESULT IN** **IMMEDIATE** **IMPRISONMENT**

 **I-I**

 **DEPARTMENT OF RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT**

 **NOVUS FACILITY**

 **SOLITAS, MANTLE**

 **PROJECT P.E.N.N.Y. STATUS UPDATE**

CODE-NAME: SOULLESS PUPPET

CLASSIFICATION: SS-P

MODEL NUMBER: M374

COVER: SECURE

STATUS: ACTIVE

CURRENT MISSION: TRAINING

UPDATE: Current performance exceeding previous projections. Systems running at 92% after three weeks of constant operation. We estimate another 5-6 weeks until complete structure/aura synchronisation. We recommend the Droid continue its participation in the Vytal Festival to decrease current total synchronization time-frame and maintain combat readiness.

Below the script was a picture, detailing the interior design of a highly complex robotic droid. Disguised as a little girl.

Watts had to raise an eyebrow. A synthetic soldier that looked, talked, and acted like a regular human being was an impressive feat to accomplish. Even to him.

"What a curious mind you Atlesians have. I think Cinder would enjoy seeing this." He copied the document and prepared a file to send to the 'Fiery Red Bitch,' as he liked to call her when she and Salem weren't around. But right as he sent the file to Cinders Scroll, flashing text in the upper right corner of his screen told him something was wrong.

BLACK KING: WARNING - UNAUTHORIZED DATA SHARING IN PROGRESS. UNAUTHORIZED STORAGE DEVICE DETECTED. **COMMENCE PURGE PROTOCOL?**

The message caused his eyes to narrow. Unlike the Red Queen Virus he so masterfully created to infect and dominate whatever systems if could find, the Black King Virus was the exact opposite. It was designed to defend the Red Queen Virus against any attempts to try and disable it. The Red Queen attacked, while the Black King defended. Two perfect programs with specific purposes, designed to work in tandem with one another. It was more effective them creating a single virus with the purpose of both attacking systems and defending itself.

He quickly brought up the interface, and wasn't surprised to see the screen of Cinders Scroll and all of its information. The Black King Virus also allowed him to see the current actions taking place on whatever device it was inside. The screen showed several files on Cinders Scroll being read, copied, and then transferred into an unknown storage device nearby.

Watts released an irritated sigh out through his nose and pulled his Scroll from his pocket and began dialing Cinder. This wasn't the first time he had received a notice from the Black King regarding Cinders Scroll. The Black King Virus inside Cinders Scroll was just a little different then other versions. It had the additional purpose of monitoring Cinders Scroll and informing him of any possible intruders trying to steal information. But he had created the ability to input a password which would allow the transfer of information without notifying him, in the event Cinder had to transfer information for whatever reason.

But when the time came to infect the CCT towers with the Red Queen Virus and its invisible counterpart, Cinder completely disregarded the password he had given her and simply initiated the data share. When he had gotten the alert, he'd gone into a panic. Instantly accessing Cinders Scroll and preparing countermeasures for an intruder that didn't exist. When he had realized the nature of the data share, he was not happy. He was sure she'd done it just to spite him.

Now, she was doing it again, probably transferring a copy of the new file he'd just sent her. But intentionally or not, it didn't matter. If she wanted to make his life difficult, then he would show her the same courtesy.

The Scroll rang several times before finally being picked up. "Watts. I wasn't expecting to hear from you." Cinders calm voice came through the speaker.

"And I wasn't expecting to call you. But your immaturity and thick head forced my hand?" Watts purposefully insulted.

A sigh. "What do you want?" She asked, her voice laced with a barely noticeable hint of annoyance.

"Come now, Cinder dear. There's no need to be rude. I know your manners are lacking, but surly you know how to be polite?" He teased, enjoying the reactions he got from provoking her.

Watts smirked as he could hear her teeth grinding through the Scroll. "What. Do. You. Want?"

"Tch. Fine then, be that way. Would you like to tell me why you are carelessly copying data and disregarding all the safety procedures I so carefully crafted?"

"What are you talking about?" She asked, sounding genuinely confused. Something that he was not expecting.

Watts paused. "You... Haven't read the latest file I sent you?"

"No."

A pit of dread began building in his chest. "So am I correct in assuming you are not in fact currently downloading information from your Scroll onto another device?"

"No, I'm not. Why-"

Cinder's voice abruptly cut off as Watts closed his Scroll threw it to the desk with a loud clatter. Without another seconds hesitation, he grabbed his mouse and clicked **COMMENCE**.

Within seconds, his dormant virus had awoken and stormed the Scroll's pathways with a vengeance. It quickly located the intruder, and prepared to do its job.

 **IDENTIFYING...**

 **ISOLATING...**

 **INITIALIZING...**

 **EXECUTING...**

* * *

Disaster.

It was a noun, meaning a sudden event, such as an accident or a natural catastrophe, that causes great damage or loss of life. But while there was no loss of life, there was certainly sudden, unexpected, and great amount of damage.

Everything had been going perfectly. The Scroll was reading him as information being transferred into the memory of the Scroll, and was unaware that he was actually accessing and stealing the files within.

But suddenly, one of the many beacons he had planted throughout the Scrolls systems activated, notifying him that the Scroll had received a sudden transmission. It was a new, large quantity of data instead, of another steady stream of information that had been appearing and disappearing over the course of his work, he was intrigued.

He fragmented a portion of the program off to continue searching the Scrolls memory and sending the files out through the data stream he entered while he moved to intercept the downloading file.

As the file entered the device's systems, Aries quickly entered it before any firewalls could be established. In real time, it would have taken the file less then a second to download. But through the eyes of an AI, it was considerably slower. Things moved in milliseconds, but remained at a normal pace for an AI. If his entire matrix was inside the device, it would have been several times faster. Such was the blessing of an AI's intelligence.

After Aries entered the file, he quickly sent strings of his data all over the file, like a squid spreading its tentacles over a rock. They scanned through its entirety and peeked into every little crevice they could find, searching for any hidden files attached underneath the main one. But they found nothing of the sort.

It didn't take long, and soon he had copied the entire file and sent it back to his body through the data stream he entered. The majority of his matrix could analyse it to determine if it had any value to his mission.

He exited the surprisingly still unguarded file. He had expected security measures to quickly be put in place, considering the rest of the Scrolls heavy defence. Perhaps it was actually nothing of worth.

Dismissing the files possible uselessness, he began to make his way back to the memory section of the scroll. But before he made it there, another beacon he had placed deeper in the system activated. More specifically, the beacon he had placed to monitor the black sphere of code detected something out of place, and was giving him an alert. But he didn't even have time to analyse the readings, before he was blindsided by billions of tiny dark codes intent on his total destruction.

The black code, so docile at first sight, was now a withering mass of sharp instructions that surrounded him and began to viciously tear his own code apart.

Somehow, the Scroll must have detected his intrusion and sent the black code to attack him. Some sort of specialized defensive code with the purpose of eradicating any foreign programs that did not correlate with the Scrolls purpose, which he most certainly did not. Being directly targeted by it, Aries could definitely say that it was very effective at its job. It swarmed all over him like a black ocean of roiling waves.

Aries now believed he realized why the file had no firewalls. It didn't need them with such an effective countermeasure present.

Thinking quickly, he shifted his outer code to give it a different appearance. Shifting from the white code he had used to infiltrate the Scroll, he changed it to mimic another stream of data what was entering, a green coloured one.

For a moment, it appeared to work. The black cloud calmed for a moment, its pointy edges and sharp ripples smoothed out, and the cloud reverted to its dormant state. Aries gave an AI's equivalent to a sigh of relief. But it was short lasted.

Before he could even begin plotting a course out of the black storm, it began to roil and churn once again as its sharp edged mercilessly tore into him once again. Each black spike of code dug in, and then tore back out with a chunk of his own. For an AI, while it wasn't painful, it _was_ extremely draining, and he wasn't sure how much longer he could take it.

* * *

A dark, endless void. That was all he could see. Pitch black in all directions with no point of reference anywhere. He felt weightless, and weak. He couldn't even tell what direction he was facing, if he were rightside up or upside down. His arms felt heavy, and his eyelids refused to open. All he could do was think, but even that was a challenge. It felt like his mind was filled with static, a constant hum that droned annoyingly in the back of his mind like a mosquito buzzing in his ear.

His sense of hearing was still working perfectly however. But because of the sounds his ears were receiving, he really wished it wasn't.

 _"No! Stop! Please stop! Don't! PLEASE!"_

As John's sight came back to him, his ears were instantly attacked by the sounds of panicked screaming. It sounded tormented. Desperate. But worst of all, it belonged to Gemina.

He blinked furiously as dark red and yellow light assaulted his vision, making it extremely difficult to see anything. Along with the light was a great roar of background noise that could have deafened him. But the screaming had no problems reaching his ears over it.

John put a hand up to partially cover his eyes and block out the light, giving him a slight ability to see. Now being at able to see at least somewhat, he was able to identify the source of the blinding light. And it didn't help his ease his mind the slightest.

It was Gemina. She was hunched over, clinging to herself tightly. She had a look of complete agony and suffering on her face. The red and yellow energy seemed to be emanating from directly beneath her skin, and it surrounded her in a sort of dome. It hurt to look at her. It really did.

"Gemina!" He shouted to her, hoping for some kind of reaction. But his voice was torn away by the deafening howl the light was producing.

He tried to walk towards her, but with every step he took he felt more and more weighted down. Every step became harder and harder take. And the screaming got louder and louder.

 _"Please stop! Ple-e-e-ease! PLEASE!"_ Gemina began sobbing, each cry sending a shard of sympathy deeper into his heart at the pain his friend was clearly going through. "Gemina! I'm here! _Gemina_!"

 _"Don't! I don't want to! Go away! Leave me alone!_ _ **LEAVE ME ALONE!"**_

Her screech brought a terrible pain to his years, and he had to resist the urge to cover them. But his aching ears were the least of his worries. For the moment she spoke, the light became ten times brighter, and a huge wave of violent swirling red and yellow energy stuck him in the chest. The impact sent him flying back and into the black void around him.

John yelled fearfully as the dome of light became smaller and smaller as he flew away.

He didn't remain airborne long. He didn't even have the chance to orient himself before he crashed through something hard, only to land on something even harder. The impact was jarring, and he could feel his spine strain to keep itself intact.

John laid there motionlessly, too dazed to look at his surroundings. He didn't even react as objects began falling on top of him. Possibly debris from whatever he crashed through.

"Ugh, uhhh. Oww." He groaned painfully. "What the hell just happened? You known, scratch that. What the hell was all that?" The said to himself. He somehow doubted anyone was around to hear him.

He quickly thought back. The last thing he remembered before ending up in this place was checking on Gemina, after she became aggravated in her sleep. He remembered touching the her face, and then his vision blurred to black. The next thing he knew, he was standing before a dome of light with Gemina in the centre, while she screamed at the top of her lungs for something to stop.

He thought for a moment. Gemina was telling something to stop whatever it was doing. That she didn't want it to do whatever she was referring to. He stopped and thought deeply for a moment, but soon came to a conclusion. He had no idea what she was talking about. It had to have been something regarding an event that had either happened, or was happening. Possibly involving her past, something of which he knew very little about.

He pushed the rubble off of himself and slowly forced himself to stand. He brushed any dust on his clothes off and took in his surroundings. He immediately realized based on the obvious details where he had crashed.

It was a church of some sort. Badly damaged if the burned alters, pews, and holes in the walls and roof were any indication. It didn't look that old though, only a few years. He guessed maybe twenty at most.

He glanced up to the front of the church, and despite the damage to the surrounding area, there was a flawless picture hanging proudly at the front. It was an image of a humanoid figure made out of pure white, with a visible aura of equal white surrounding it. He didn't recognise the painting of the figure on it, but then again, he wasn't really a religious kind of person. He preferred to learn based on logic and facts rather then faith and belief. Even more so after he met with Hallow and learned the true nature of Remnant's existence.

He was swiftly brought out of his thoughts and he literally jumped as something large and heavy crashed through the roof of the church before plowing into the ground behind him with an enormous boom.

He coughed and waved away the plum of dust that had been thrown up by the impact of the object. He didn't have to question what it was for long. As the dust cleared, he saw a familiar colour of yellow. He stepped into the small crater that had formed from the crash and carefully pulled Gemina's weapon, Teardown, out of the rubble.

John held held the grenade launcher out at arms length and inspected it fully. He'd never actually gotten a good look at it before. It was long, thick, and yellow, that much was obvious. Attached to it's side closer to the back was a drum magazine that he knew carried the spiked grenades that Gemina's weapon fired. On the other side opposite to the drum was a rough half-U shaped black handle with a trigger, two buttons, two switches, and another button under a flippable plastic button protector. Clearly the weapons equivalent of a firing mechanism and alternate firing abilities. Despite the heavy impact with the church floor, the weapon hadn't taken any form of damage whatsoever.

"Now just what are you doing here?" John questioned the chunk of metal. Predictably, the weapon remained silent.

"What the hell is going on?" John could only ask to himself. "Aries? Strategos? Harpy? Can any of you hear me?" He attempted, almost out of desperation, to talk to his Alphas. But they only gave him the same answer as the weapon in his hands. Silence.

He sighed. He thought about slinging Teardown on his back with Atomizer, when he suddenly realized something. An absence of weight that he almost always had with him. He reached behind himself just to check, hoping he was wrong and imagining things. But he wasn't. Atomizer was gone.

He looked around the church, hoping it had fallen off during the crash. But a thorough search of the church and ten minutes later gave him no results.

"Fuck man." He swore. He didn't like not having Atomizer with him. It was something he had with him almost all the time. Just its presence had become a comfort.

He glanced down at the weapon in his hand. For some reason his weapon had disappeared, and he had Gemina's instead.

Seeing no alternative, he slung the weapon on his back. It was big, bulky, and heavier then Atomize. All in all, it was uncomfortable to carry.

Nonetheless, he persisted through it and walked to the two large, wooden doors at the entrance of the church, the only visible way out of the building.

He walked up to one of the doors and eyed it fr a brief moment, before giving it a strong push. The door resisted at first, the hinges having collected a considerable amount of rust over its years of neglect. But eventually with a loud ominous creak and groan, he was able to force the door open just enough to squeeze himself and the bulky weapon on his back through. The sight on the other side made him brain temporarily fritz out, for it defied all logic.

Around him was the remains of a ruined town. Wooden buildings around him had the appearance of being smashed, or burned. Some had been reduced to just rubble, forbidding him from being able to tell what they looked like. The cobblestone walkway that made up the street was cracked, and the ground beneath it warped. At points there were rises and depressions that were as tall as him. Through some of the fractures in the road, the familiar swirling red and yellow energy leaked out like wisps of smoke. The rising and falling ground wasn't limited to the road, however. Houses had been broken in two at some places where the ground fractured and shards of earth rose above the rest of the ground.

But what really surprised him though, was the _floating_ ground. All around in the sky, pieces of land were floating about. Parts of houses or several houses sat upon the large chunks, as well as small floating rocks hovering all alone. It was true that Gravity Dust had the ability to do the same thing, but he could not see a single shard of the substance anywhere. So it must have been something else making the ground hover in the sky.

Speaking of the sky, there was none. It was as pitch black as the night, just without a single source of light to be seen anywhere and a lack of any clouds. Yet despite any visible light source, he was able to see the surrounding area without a problem. Even with the help of the shadows from the houses and fractured land, he couldn't figure out where the light was coming from.

"I must be losing my mind. There's no other explanation. I'm going crazy." He whispered to himself.

John stepped down from the church steps with caution, deliberately taking care to avoid stepping on the fissures leaking energy. The last time the substance had touched him had not ended well, and there was no telling what would happen if he touched it again.

The street outside the church went two ways. To his right the ground and houses looked a little more stable. The ground wasn't as twisted, there wasn't as many floating platforms of earth. The houses were a little more intact as well.

Meanwhile to his left was the exact opposite. The ground had fractures and fissures leaking the unstable looking energy, and ground platforms filled the sky. They would sometimes collide with one another and send the fragments that broke off sailing around the area, before hitting other platforms. Additionally, the sky of the left side had a glow of red and yellow light in the sky, visible just above the roofs of the houses.

He look right. Then to his left. Then right. Then left. Right. Left. Right. Left.

"It's times like this when I wish I had a lien coin on me." John sighed.

He briefly weighed his options. The right side did look stable, and so safer. But at the same time it looked bland. Like there was nothing special to see down the road. Nothing to see. No real purpose.

Meanwhile, the left side was considerably more colourful. Both figuratively and literally. The origin of the lights and energy was also a mystery, so that was something to figure out.

He had a choice. Either safety and stability, but possibly at the cost of dullness. Or danger and excitement, with the promise of mystery and possibility of harm. The choice to him was a difficult one. But at the same time, it couldn't be more obvious.

He grabbed Teardowns strap wrapped around his chest and tightened it, before heading off down the left side.

* * *

 **A/N: I don't know how I feel about this chapter. It's good, I think, but it was difficult to write. Anyways, we got a look into how Aries thinks now and what it's like for a Promethean to interact with Remnant technology.**

 **And then there's what's happening to John. I assure you all, there is a completely logical explanation as to what is happening to him, and it is going to be explained soon. Next chapter, to be specific.**

 **Regardless, there are two things I want to say to all of you.**

 **1\. I realise this whole story is complicated. At least it is from my point of view. I feel like I could have written it all better, to be honest. But it's too late now. Regardless, I want to help you if you're confused by something. Just leave a review, or PM me. If you have questions regarding my story, please ask. I don't want anyone to leave just because they're confused as to what or how things are going. Please don't hesitate to ask. And if it does seem like my story is becoming too complicated and you don't like it, please tell me.**

 **2\. As some of you may have noticed, I am not an expert when it comes to computers. So, to anyone who has experience with computer programming, I would appreciate a message from you to help me write the digital related scene I have coming up in the next chapter to finish off what's happening with Aries, as well as maybe modifying what happened in this one to make it all more realistic. Unless what I did was satisfactory.**

 **Nonetheless, I really hoped you enjoyed this chapter and I hope it seemed both realistic and simple.**

 **Please review and tell me what you think, and as always, I'll see you next time.**


	15. Chapter 15 - Metaphysical Part 2

**A/N: I'm sorry for the delay of this chapter, and I promise to try and quicken the release of the next one. Also, while I said the explanation to John's predicament would occur in this chapter, things didn't turn out that way. Really hoping it'll be next chapter though.**

 **Reviews**

 **hunter of moonlight: Not telling. But you'll find out soon. I'm really hoping next chapter if things go the way I want them to.**

 **thermalsnipern7: The Warden was able to appear in a variety of places over the course of the Halo 5 campaign, thus I believe he's able to go to most Forerunner installations. To answer your question, I have thought about having the Warden in this story. I believe I may. But if I ultimately do and when that will be, I'm honestly not sure.**

 **halo is bad ass: That would be funny, but as you stated it simply wouldn't make sense.**

 **BrutusPrimus: I guess that means I'm doing a good job. Thanks!**

 **MaskedRiderEnzo: An interesting idea, and I will admit I gave thought to the idea of repairing her and having her continue on through the story, but ultimately I decided against it, as she is a Human droid with Human artificial intelligence and aura. Such technology is too different from the Forerunners at the moment, thus it wouldn't make much sense to have Hallow suddenly be able to repair her.**

 **Guest: If I did that, things would become much more difficult for me to write. Besides, I already have a set plan on what's going to happen as a result of the information gathering.**

 **DireProphet: Sorry, but I'm not doing that.**

 **Jack54311: I am really looking forward to bringing you the explanation. Unfortunately, I planned for it to be in this chapter, but things didn't pan out that way. But I'm fairly sure it'll be explained in the next chapter. Regardless, I'm glad you approve.**

* * *

Remnant's Reclamation

* * *

Normally, John wouldn't think of himself as the type to throw caution to the wind and choose the reckless path. Or in his case, the mysterious path that probably held a good amount of hidden danger to it. But then again, his circumstances were far from normal. He was in some sort of foreign land where the laws of physics didn't apply and literally anything could probably happen. He was off the edge of the map, where _normal_ was just an idea.

It was hard to tell time thanks to the lack of a Sun, but it felt like he'd been walking down the fractured road of the town for about thirty minutes or so. In that time, the appearance of the town had only gotten worse. The road had more cracks in it, and more sections of earth had risen or sunk, making it particularly difficult to navigate. The heavy weapon on his back didn't help much in that regard either.

One event of note that had occurred during his trek, he had come across a new, and very peculiar sight.

At one point as he walked through what was left of the town, he came across a house that had been completely locked up with thick black chains. The windows doors were boarded up with wood, and the chains seemed to have been added as an afterthought. Or an extra precaution. Said chains were wrapped completely around the house, blocking virtually every possible entrance. The size of the linked metal alone was a estimate to that, as just a single piece of the chain was as thick as his arm. It was clear to him that whoever had quarantined the house, did not want someone to get in. Or maybe, they didn't want whatever was inside to get out.

He had wisely decided to leave the house alone and continue on his search for... Well, if he was honest with himself he didn't really know what he was looking for. Gemina? The origin on the lights? The source of the red-yellow energy? The cause behind the towns destruction? He really didn't know. But in his mind it still felt like he was going the right way.

Actually, it felt a lot like the time back when he first faced the Gravemind, only things had happened so quickly then he hadn't had time to process anything and had been forced to just go with the flow. Fortunately for him with his current situation, he was able to think things through and try to analyse the situation. Unfortunately for him with his current situation, it failed to supply him with anything he could use to try and deduce a logical conclusion. There was nothing familiar around him to help figure out what was going on. No people, no Grimm, no technical devices, no communication with his Alphas, and no Forerunner technology. There wasn't even any Flood! Which, honestly, would have made sense if the environment surrounding him was some sort of hallucination composed by the Gravemind to make him go insane, which was one of the hypothesis he had come up with to try and explain what was happening to him. Maybe as revenge for trapping it in its prison again.

But he had no way to prove it, and there were none of said things. Only a enormous, empty town with barely a sound in the air. Only the soft hum of the strange energy slipping out of the cracks beneath his feet, the creaking wood of the mangled houses flanking his sides, and the occasional swoosh of air as one of the floating islands flew by or a boom as they collided together.

John growled and tugged at the strap for Teardown as the weapon started coming loose yet again. Gemina's weapon, while obviously effective at combat when in her hands, was quickly becoming John's most disliked fact about his situation. The gun was heavy, yes, but the weight he could deal with. What he couldn't deal with was it's huge, blockey size that uncomfortably dug into his back and constantly moved in pace with his walking that caused the strap to loosen. If only there-

He stopped there in the middle of the road, just as he was preparing to climb another ground rise. He had just realized something. Whenever he saw Gemina, she didn't have a huge, heavy weapon on her back. She had a decent sized rectangular-shaped slab of metal.

He quickly slung the grenade launcher off his back and began inspecting it, turning it over and looking for some sort of mechanism that could make it smaller. Failing to find any, he eventually focused on the handle with its numerous buttons and switches. He was confident that one of them was the key to contracting the launcher. The only problem was he had no idea which one.

The trigger was probably what fired the grenades, so there was no need to test it. But there was still two switches and three buttons, one of which was under a plastic button shield. Figuring that the only way to determine their function was to test them, he pressed one of the unprotected buttons. The weapon gave a soft electronic buzz, but didn't shift in any way. He scowled and tried pressing the button several times more, but it only gave him the same sound each time. Sighing, he tried pressing the other button on the handle and was finally met with some results.

The metal plates that made the weapon up began to shift and change. The barrel extended further out before ejecting a metal sphere, which then expanded and grew spikes. The opposite side also expanded and thinned before ejecting a metal sphere, which then copied the first. The handle moved to the centre of the long pole forming between the two spheres, and in just a matter of seconds he went from holding a grenade launcher to a long staff with two large spiked spheres at either end. He recognized it as the melee form of Gemina's weapon.

John had been unprepared for the sudden transformation, and grimaced nervously as he tried to keep the heavy ended weapon balanced between his hands. Teardown wavered in his hands uncontrollably before he planted one of the spiked spheres on the ground, stilling it. He exhaled and studied the weapons new form.

It was the first time he'd really gotten a detailed look at Gemina's weapon, but he could see that it had a very basic appearance. A long staff with several vertical indented lines in several places where plates met other plates. On either end were two metal spheres, each with sharp spikes protruding from them. It was really just a giant double ended spiked staff.

He looked and saw that the interface handle was still there, only with it now being tucked into the the centre staff and only the surface switches and buttons being visible. He pressed the same button again. This time since he was prepared for its transformation back to its ranged form, he was able to keep it stable in his hands as the mecha-shift weapon changed back. Satisfaction filled him as he felt like he was getting closer to figuring out how the contraption worked.

Moving on he tried flipping one of the switches. A small red light appearing on the side of the weapon by the handle was his only indication that the switch had actually done something. John sighed irritably, switching it back and making the light wink out. He moved on to the unmarked switch beside it and tried flipping it.

Once more, he was met with results as metal plates began to shift, only instead of expanding Teardown had begun contracting. In just a few seconds, the weapon had completely changed. Instead of the large, bulky weapon he had come to despise carrying, it was now a straight rectangular box, with only the handle sticking out of the side. The whole thing was so small in size comparison that if he hadn't witnessed it personally, he'd have had a hard time believing that it was the same thing. It had smooth edges instead of sharp points at each vertices, probably so it wouldn't dig into the back of the carrier. Something he was grateful for.

As happy as he was that he'd finally figured out how to shrink the weapon, he still scowled. "How could I be so stupid as to forget her weapon could shrink." He grumbled to himself, his mind bringing up numerous instances where he saw Gemina carrying the box in his hands, and all the trouble the weapon had put him through thus far.

He released a deep sigh. In the end, it didn't matter. He'd figured it out now, and it wasn't as if he'd spent most of his journey carrying it. By the looks of the lights in the sky, it seemed like he still had a decent way to go before he would find its origin, and with it likely the cause of the strange town's ruined appearance. Still, it wasn't as though he w-

 _Ssssssshhhhhhhhhhhh click click click_ _click click click click click crrraaaaaaa..._

He froze. A shiver ran up his spine as an inhuman sound reached his ears, originating from somewhere behind him. It sounded... Artificial. As though it was being generated by a broken machine, accidentally generating the same sound over and over again over the course of less then a second, but still operating well enough to play the entirety of its downright creepy message. His first instinct was to pull Atomizer off his back and turn to face it. But not only did he not have Atomizer with him, something in the back of his mind told him to stop and wait.

He firmly gripped Teardown's handle and pressed his thumb against the switch mechanism, but didn't flick it. He made an obvious show of inspecting the compacted grenade launcher, acting like he hadn't heard the ominous sound. He forced himself to remain still as he heard the noise once again.

 _Click click click. Crraaa-aaaaaaa... Ssssssssssst-t-t-t-t-t-t-t._

Whatever it was, it wasn't getting any closer by the sound of it. It seemed like it was just observing him from a distance, for whatever reason. It was technically possible for it to be some sort of animal, but he hadn't seen any living thing in the time he'd been here. Why would one show up now?

As the sounds continued, getting neither louder or quieter, he eventually made the decision to quickly turn around and source of the noise. But the moment he turned the sounds ceased, and as he looked around he couldn't find a single sign of any person or animal. It looked just as dead as it had minutes ago.

Slowly, he began cautiously backing up and away from the spot he'd stopped in. There was no sign of anything watching him, or following him. But he didn't want to take any chances.

 _*CRASH*_

A sudden sound of something breaking was the end of it as he slung Teardown on his back, turned around, and ran like hell.

* * *

Swirling Black Code collided with orange as the Black attempted to stop the orange from escaping its makeshift cage. But the orange code and the intelligence driving it was determined to escape, no matter how much damage it suffered as a result.

The Black Code had been doing very well. In addition to its much larger size, Aries had to admit it was also very well written. It was able to counter pretty much every single one of Aries's attempts to escape and hide. The Crawler had tried deception, trickery, counter attacking, stealth, yet none had worked. And as he found himself running out of options, he resorted to a good old fashioned tactic. Brute force.

He had quickly strengthen the code at one end of himself, and then brutally forced his way forward. Pushing all the code to the side and literally tunnelling his way out of the swarming mass. Having diverted most of his processing power to this 'drill' however, had left his defensive programs only running off their basic coding, which was turning out to be quite ineffective against the Black Code.

His plan however, while succeeding in getting him closer to escaping, was allowing the Black Code to destroy 0.0934162% of his coding every second. He had already been stuck in the roiling cloud for almost two minutes and had lost approximately 11.209944% of his program as a result. Including what was already lost, at the rate he was being destroyed, the code would completely assimilate him in fifteen minutes and fifty four seconds if he failed to escape. It was a lot of time for an AI, which meant he had plenty of time to find a way to escape. But at the same time, it also meant there was plenty of time for the Black Code to find new ways to stop him.

It took him almost three minutes to finally break through the thick walls of the Black Code, further destroying another 16.814916% of his coding, only leaving him _approximately_ 71.97514% to work with. He wasn't fully sure. His self-diagnostic subroutines had been one of the first things to go. But he was undoubtedly feeling the effects. His processing ability was noticeably slower, and despite his best efforts to protect them some of his higher level reasoning algorithms had been snatched away by the blackened code. It was somewhat hard for the Crawler to think clearly now. His mind was constantly trying to switch its focus and move it onto other far less important subjects, unintentionally distracting him. He threw all the ideas away as quickly as he could. He knew he had to find the memory section, recover the search programs he had left behind, and leave the tablet's systems as quickly as he could.

If he and the Black Code were physical, then Aries would say that the Code was so close behind him he could feel its breath down his neck. But because they were digital, he could say that the Defence Code was sticking to his behind very closely and trying to envelop him once more. But unlike the last time, Aries was fully aware of its presence and was constantly writing new algorithms to fend it off, preventing it from getting a grip on him like it had last time. However, he couldn't recover his programs if he was being perused so closely. He needed to hide again, and prevent the system from finding him. If it couldn't find him, it couldn't attack him.

* * *

 **PROGRAM LOST. RE-INITIALIZING.**

''Hmmm." Watts frowned as the message materialized on the screen.

It was odd. Since he had activated his Black King Virus, things had been going very well. His Virus had immediately isolated the intruder from the rest of the tablet system and began tearing it apart, line by line. That way he could analyse it later on, and hopefully determine who it was that had infiltrated Cinder's Tablet.

The doctor noted that it had to be a very large, or very complex, program. As evidenced by the considerable amount of time it was taking to corrupt the infiltrator program. In just over five minutes, only about 11% of the program had been stolen. It was either so large it was taking the Black King a long time to assimilate it, or its complexity was giving it the ability to effectively fight off his offensive program. But in the end, it didn't matter. His Virus was a masterpiece. He had spent months developing it and its sibling, testing and tweaking them both until they were perfect. This one, this intruder, was more then likely just some kid looking to steal some information for blackmail, and he had no idea how big of a mistake he had made.

"Hiding won't help you. You're in my territory now." Watts' hands roamed across the keyboard with efficient speed and accuracy. A quick moment later, his virus identified the intruder again. It quickly resumed the elimination procedure, although at a noticeably slower rate, as though his virus only had a portion of the intruder program.

But after just a few moments as the bar began to move, it ceased one again and replied with the same message.

 **PROGRAM LOST. RE-INITIALIZING.**

His hands once more roamed across the keyboard, modifying his virus' search parameters to help smoke out the trespasser. But this time, his virus gave him no confirmation to finding it again.

Watts growled and scratched his chin. There was no way this was just some simple infiltration program or macro virus. It had to be an active program being controlled by an outside force. It was the only way the program could be so adaptive, and have re-hidden itself so quickly. It was either that, or the program was far more advanced then he initially thought.

This program, advanced or being controlled, was doing a good job. Whoever made it or whoever was controlling it must have had considerable skill, maybe even matching his own level. But he found it convenient how, right after he had snatched a new file from the Scroll of the Atlesian General, he found a program searching through Cinder's Scroll.

His chest dropped as a troubling thought creeped into his mind. Had Atlas somehow discovered his virus? And then sent one of their own to collect data? How far had it gone already? Did Atlas know of their plans?

The thought made him scowl fiercely. It was unacceptable. They had taken _months_ to plan everything out to the letter, and he absolutely _refused_ to let it all go to hell because of one little program.

Putting his hands on his keyboard with newfound determination, as well as a good amount of fear as to what Salem would do to him if he failed, he swiftly brought up the lines of code that had already been stolen from the infiltrator. He hoped it would give him some insight into how it worked. But what appeared on his screen, instead of being helpfully insightful, was just... Odd.

.

.̷̧͌ͥ̿͋͗̓ͥ̅͊̃̿͒ă͙͖ͣͩ̊s̀̿̍ͫ͐͗̀s̫̦̣̯͙͚̖ͩ̑͗̽͂̾ͬe̙̜̻̹̬r̶̯͕̪̣̳̖̽̔̉͂̌tͯͬ͏̼ ̣̯̜͎͔͈ͯͦ(̰̗̐̊͊͛ͅs̲͔ͮc̟̪͙̫̻͑͑ͦ̈́̐ͣ̀͢ą̻͕̗̙͔̩ͯ̇̀̇͆̌̏ͅn̖̹͙̭̘̼͓ͥͤͮ̿ͦ̀̚.̛̺̫̟͂̍s͇̟͓y̪̜̜̼̖ͅs̛̫ͅt͚̱̮e̷̮͍m̛͇͓̙̟̟)̲̟̲̱-̺̗͔͕͉͟f́͟ȧ̛̋̆s̓ͦ̅̉̌̽̎ţ̋̽'ͫ́͢

d͘͘͜͜e̷̛̕͢f̢ȩ͟͝n̢͞c҉̸͜i͏͞v̛͘͢e̵̢̢̕͜:̢͘c̸͞ǫ̢p̶͏͏͟ỳ̷̢̧\̷̸͢\̵́́m͏̛̖̟̖͔̯̤͇̞͙̞̞͚i̧̛̭̗͕̼̼̲̣~m͏̵̶̴̴͕̼͈͎̖̻̬̹̩̜̦̣̣̟̜̰ͅì̮̜̤̜̦͈̩̜͉̮͔̪̹͈͇̺̗͠c̵̢̘̗̮̗̗̀̕͟|̵̨̧̢{͞҉͏͞҉a҉̵͠d̀͏̛̕͝d̢͢i̢̛͢t͢҉͟i̷̡̢̢o҉̶̧n͢͝a̡͟l͏̸͟͡}͢͢͟{̨͢͢͢͞s̡͘͢͡y̕͏͢ş̢̢͠͏t҉̧ę̧͢͝͡m̸͢҉̡}̴̢͝^̴̧̡F̴̛Ǫ͟R̛̕͟͟͡C̸̴E̶̸̢͢͝?̷̨-̛͏̸.̸̕/̸ͩ̓͐ͨ҉̖͓̲̗͓̦̻̗̗̗̥̺̣̘/̡͓͉̮̪̺̪͖̫̣̟̌͂̾̑͋̔ͨͤ͂̿̍̏ͧ̿͋ͪ͡͡/̴̷͕̪̟͚̣̝̺̤̩̩̥̖̻̳͕̹̦͖͋̽̑̊͗ͭ̂̆̀̇͒̾ͤ̚/̸̷̛͇̬̮̬͉̝̫̥̺̮̾̍̌̂̀

[̶̸̧̛=̷-̴͡/̷̢͜҉̡͠`̴͟͢,͡͏̷̢͘;͏͘͢͜~̵̶̡́\̸̀̕҉(̵̕͢͝*̸͘͜͠^̸/͎̕\̣͓͘-̧̭̮̼̣`̠̞̺͖̖

l̸̢͕̮͔̜̙̙͖̺̙͠o͍̻̯̝̹͙̩̻͈͟͞c̸̱̼͈̯̖͉̰̹͍͜͟ͅa̷͈̠̩̼͇͔͓͍͓̕te=̵͠҉v̶̹̖̞͉á̠̞l̹̱͈̱̤̩ų̧͇̲̫̗̤e̟̘̲͙+̶gu̕͘͠a͘r͏d}()

c͡r҉i̵tical̢*̨n͜oti͢c̡e/|̡/͜|i̶͛̆n̿̄̊̆̎ͯv̊̆̓ͮaͤ̆̅̊̀l͋͒ͤů̸̍ë҉|çr̵o͢ss̀|̸ͧ͆̐ͯ̇̎͆̕̕͟|ͮ͌͗ͫͣ̈́̉ͣ҉̵̶̸͞|̴̵̢͑̃̌ͯͫ̓ͦ̓̂͗̑ͮ͌ͤͬ́_̢̛̕͘̕=̶́͢҉̵~̧͞҉̷̴̧͢/҉̷͞҉̷:̵̢͟͜͞}́̕͢'̀͠͞;̷͝'̢́"̵̴̧͝͠^̵̢͠͝|ì̶̧ń͘͞v̶a̶̛l̨̀i̕d̨҉̧͕͔̙̳͉̹̭̞

p̛͘͠l̸̢͟͡͞a͏̵̕ć̴è̢͡-̷̧̢͝s̶̴t̛́́͠a̢͡y͟͏̡=̛́s̰̦̬͕̀ͦ̈ͭ̚c̑̚a̘̠̱̞͖ͣ̆ͨ̎̎͆ǹ̒ͣ*͏̴͏ḑ̴͜é̴̸̛̛t̷̷̶ę̵͘͡c̢̡̢͢͜t͘͝*́͜͠s͢͠͏͢e̷̶̷͘͠á̵̶̧r̵̨̡͜c̢̛̛͠h̕͝҉̴͠-̕fͦ̑̄͋̿̚ī̴̧̨́̓͒̅͛̀͡nͬ̂͌̈́ͮ҉̧̢d̓͐̊ͨ̍̚/̧͢/̴̀́:̵̴́҉c͘͘͜e̶s̶̨͘͜ş̴͟҉a̴̢t̷̢̀i̴͏ò̕n̴̸̶̛^͡͏͏É̸͠N̢̧͡D̸͏̨̡-̸͘F̷͞͏̴͘I̴̧͢͡N̸̢̨̕͘D̡̕͝͝-̷̢̀͝҉S̸̵͞҉͘Ę̧̛A͏̸̢̢Ŕ͟C̴̀͢H̸̷́̀́͜҉̶̵̧̀͘͟͝͞

He had... Honestly never seen anything like it. It was as if the programming was somehow tainted, or affected by something. As if it were affected by a virus of its own. There were symbols he'd never seen before, covering normal English letters like a coat. The codes themselves made sense, and he could more or less understand what each one was designed to do. But the characters covering them made it slightly difficult to tell for sure.

He took a few moments to study the coding, but was soon able to learn something about what made the program tick. It had a special, and admittedly ingenious line of code that was designed to disguise itself and the rest of the program it was attached to as other natural code within the system it had breached. It allowed the program to act within a system without being targeted by the basic virus protection software, since the code line made it look like it belonged. He took a moment to quickly look deeper into the clever subroutine, and after only a few brief moments, he believed he had found something quite valuable.

It was the basic coding behind the programs defensive subroutines, and it helped to show him how it worked and was able to mimic other coding. He was able to see exactly how it scanned and mimicked another system's natural code, and how it was able to hold its disguise. It a valuable insight into how it worked. Enough to maybe smoke it out.

Copying all of the coding that his virus had so far stolen from the interloper, he swiftly moved to his virus' interaction panel and inserted the coding, giving the directive to search directly for it. Watt's also implanted the intruder program's mimicking subroutines into the search perimeters, so that it would know if it was being tricked. But now that the Black King knew what to look for, the dark doctor expected this entertaining intrusion to be dealt with quickly.

* * *

If Aries' thoughts could be translated into the Human language, it would be something along the lines of, _"Stupid idea, stupid idea, stupid idea. Shouldn't have done it."_

After initially escaping from the 'black cloud of doom,' as he'd jokingly begun to call it, the Crawler had managed to briefly hide away in the Scrolls Photo-Reception section, but had been so clumsy in doing so that he'd accidentally tripped the scrolls basic alarm system, thus leading the Black Cloud right to him. After fleeing once more, he found more success several seconds later when turning to hide in the Scrolls primary processor. This time, he was more careful to keep the security system intact and not trigger any alerts.

Several milliseconds later, for the second time he had seen thus far, the swarm calmed. Behaving more like gentle ripples in a pond then a rouge wave in the sea. But just to make sure, Aries waited and watched the swarm from inside the primary processor for a full minute. Practically an eternity in an AI's sense, and incredibly boring after just five seconds, but necessary to make certain the cloud had lost him and it wasn't trying to pull some sort of trick. The enemy program had so far proven to be very resourceful and intelligent. For a dumb AI at least.

The term Dumb had an entirely different meaning to an Ancilla, or AI. Dumb was the name used for a artificial mind that lacked sentience. His makers had used many such programs in their society over the course of their rein. Although significantly less so after the beginning of the Forerunner-Flood war, after it became apparent that they were far too susceptible to the Flood's influence.

After the minute had passed, Aries prepared himself to exit the central processor and return to the memory centre, only to pause as he noticed the Blackness doing something he had not seen yet. Slowly turning from a thick, condensed black cloud, into a thinly spread fog that seemed to spread and blanket the entirety of the scrolls internal systems. It took very little time before the entire Scroll's Cybersystem had been covered in a thin veil of the Black Code, and every piece of moving code he could see was collecting small chunks of it, obviously being scanned, before the code would release it and return to it position.

 _"Widespread security net. Clever. Very clever. But also trouble."_ The Crawler growled to himself. From what he had seen, if he were to try and leave the central processor, the Black Code would latch on and scan him, possibly detecting him if his cover wasn't secure enough. He was already having enough trouble keeping it intact without being under an invasive scan, so he didn't see it likely that he would simply be able to pass through via normal means. He knew he needed alternative solution.

It was possible that if he were able to send enough information to the memory centre along with him, the Black Code would have trouble distinguishing him from the rest. But where was he supposed to get enough information to allow such a feat? He couldn't contact his larger half outside of the Scroll to supply him with that information, not without alerting the Code to his location. So that idea wouldn't work. A straight charge would also be suicidal. The Black Code would quickly overwhelm him and he'd be right back at square one.

After taking some time and evaluating all other possible alternatives, and calculating their relative chances at success, he determined that there was really only one way for him to get to the memory centre undetected. Unfortunately, it was also the worst and would require a very undesirable course of action.

If he was to get to the memory centre undetected, it meant he would have to play the part and look exactly like he belonged. The only things being sent to the Scroll's memory centre was raw information, such as words, numbers, pictures, videos, and other similar forms of information. Thus, if he wanted to look like he belonged, he'd have to transmute and rework most of his data into the only raw information he really had at his disposal. Memory.

He couldn't transform most of his programming into just words and numbers to fool it. There simply wasn't enough of himself to produce the correct amount of raw information to fool the Black Code. But, what he could do was convert the majority of himself into video and picture files, detailing his past memories and experiences. That would supply enough information to cover himself, and distract the coding long enough to get into the memory centre, recover his programs, and retreat from the system altogether. It was really the only thing he had left to try, that had even the slightest chance of success.

There was really no issues to the plan with regards to the chance of success. The process was actually quite simple and relatively easy in theory. The only problem was that the actual process itself was going to be very unpleasant to carry out.

It was similar to a person burning their body until their flesh turned to carbon ash. It was actually very similar, since both such processes require the destruction of what made them up,thus turning them into something else. To put it simply, it wasn't a fun thing to do. But as his mind failed to come up with another alternative, he reluctantly pushed his plan into motion.

Separating the majority of his coding, gathering together all now non-essential programs and only leaving the ones required to keep his intelligence intact and functioning properly, he began the procedure.

He started by collecting his memories, all the important memories of his past that had been afforded to him by his larger half, all the ones that made him who he was, and began copying them. He then took those templates, and pasted them onto all of the coding he gathered together. After the placement was complete, it took just a few short seconds for the programming to begin changing. Essentially converting themselves into more copies of his memories.

 _Ch̀a̢ng̢ed.͝ Ch̕ur̸n͘ed̨. ̀Ev͘òl҉ve̵d t҉o̵ fig̴h̢t̀ ̡t̴ḩat́ wh̷i̴c̛h͢ n͠e͝éd͜s ͠tǫ be̴ ͞fou͠g̀ht͘. Pu͝r͢p͡os͞e̴._

Directive orders began popping into his mind, as if reminding him of his purpose. But the mass of them had caused them to become distorted and unstable. He 'shook' his head to clear his thoughts of them.

 _A̛͟ ͢f҉l̸̕͟a̵͢sh͜͝҉ ͏o̵f̸ ̷̕liģ͘͠h̵t̛͘. ̕G̶r͝ote̴̷͞s͢q̶̸́ư̴e͡ ̢sh҉̶r̶̡͠iȩk͟s҉ ̧̛̀a͘ǹ̢d ̵̕l̀oứd̢͏ ͘b̧̀͠o͜o̶̧͞m͞͡s̴̨.̸ ҉Ẁea̵͜p͡͡ońş̷ ̕d̀i͝s҉c҉̸̢ha̶r̵͜͠g̷i̡n̶g.̷͠ ͞F̀͘l̡̀e̵͟s̢̨h͡ ̴̶ì̷͞m̷̴p̸a͘c̸̡͝t̡̧i̴ń͞ǵ̕͝ ̧͜m̧̢e͞ţ͢a̶͠l.͘ T̢̕er̷̕͡ŗ̷íb̀l̴̢͞e͜͢͠ ̀ņ͜o͜įs̴̡͡e̢͡.̸͠ T͘͡͡a̷n̡g̸͝l̨e̷͜d i͘͏́n̢ ͡s̕t̛̀ri̴͟n̵͢ǵ̴ś̛͡ ̢̢o̶͟f̸̛͠ ̀̕arm͠s͘͟ ̨a̡͟n̵̵d̨̛ ̸̢bo̢҉n͡ę̸.͘͠._

Each and every memory flashed before his mind as they were changed and converted.

 _R̷͝҉̡i̵̷̵̡͡ṕ̸͡p͘͞i̢͝n̢̕͢g͝ ̸̢̕a̶͞ń͏d̸͞͡҉ ͠t̶͡é̡͟a̢̛͟͟ŕ͡i̷̷͟͟͝n̢͘͢ǵ̛̕͢.̶̴̀͘̕ ҉Ģ̷̸͜r̷͏ȩe҉͏̸̡ń̴̕̕ ̶̸̷̶͝f͏̴͜l̷̨̕͏ų̸͡҉í̛́d̴̨͟͟͡ ̸̷͝͡s̕͜͞é̷̷̸͜é͜ṕ͠i̴̵̕͝n̶̸ǵ̕̕͟ ̶̶̡̡͏t̵͏h͟r҉͏ǫ̷̛͜u̢͘͝g̷̀h̨̀͘ ̸͢͝͡͝t̡͠h̷͘ę͘͜ ̵̕͢c̶̴̵͟r̛͟҉̀͜a̷͞c̸̕͟͠k̵̨̡͞͠s̢͡.̕͝͠͞ ҉̡͝F͟҉͟͝͝l͏͞͏̶è̵́s̛̛͝h̷҉̸̧͝ ̀͟͠c̡̕͢͡͝ó̕v̨̢̛͢͞ę͞͠r̶̶i̸̴̵͜n̸̷̛g̸̨͠ ̷̴t̵̢̛́h̵͝e̷̷̛ ͜͝g͏̶̶̨̛r̡̕̕o̵̧͝͞u͢͠n̢͢d́͟͡҉͜.҉̷̢ ̸̢S̢̨̀ç̀͞r͏͡é̴͘͜a̸͟҉̶m̸̛͟͜͡s̶̢̨͟ ͏o҉̀̕͜͝f̛̕͝ ̸̡p̧͝͡͏a̶̶̧͟i̛͡n̡͠͞͝ ͟͟͡á̢̕͘s҉̴̸ ̷́́͟t̛́͘͡͡h̨e̷͘y͟͠'͘͘͞r̛e̸ ͡t̴͢͜͠͞w҉̸̧i̶͝͠͝s̷̨̢͝ţ͢͡e̕͟͝d̴̢ ̴̨́͡ą̴͜n̸̷̶̡d̷͞҉̷̧ ̸̶m̨͝͏͠ú̴̀͡t̷͜͞į̷̧͟҉l͠҉á̢̢̛t̶̸̢҉e̸̛͘͡d̶͘.̴̷͘_

After just barely half a minute, though feeling like much longer to him, the process was complete, and there was now an overwhelming amount of copies attached to his mind. So many that it was almost to the point of being overwhelming. The images were pounding in his mind, like a battering ram against a door, only with each impact he received a instant flashback.

 _A͠ ͏c͘͟a͜l͞mn̛͘͢es̶̢s͞҉͢.̴̧̢ ̷A̷͞ r͟͡҉a̛͢͝r͡͏̨e̵ ̸͟҉b̀͟re͟͞a̴k i̢͠ņ̸ ͜t͜h́ę̡ ̧F̸l̛͟o̷͏̵o͘d ̧͞w̡͟͟h̴͡i̸c͝h̨̢͢ ̷̛͞ǵ͘a҉҉̕ve ̢҉͝w̴̶à̸͞y ̵̢͝t̷͡ó̢͢ ͢͠dry͏͘ l̡͝a̸͡n͘d̛̀̀.̕ A̴͞ ́s̀̕͘a͞f͜e ̸̢p҉la̛c͘͞e͏͡ ̛t҉͘o ͞w̵a͜͢iţ̢ ̷ơu̢͡t̴̢ ̶t̴h̢̡ȩ҉͟ ų͢n̶̵͝spéà̢k̢͏͡a͠b̢l͏̷e̷̷͘ ͢ą̶͟c̵t͝͝i̸͞ǫņ̵͞s o̵̶f̛͝ t̴̶̛h̢e̴͘͝ ̷͘st́͘o͟r̷m҉.̶_

It was taking so much focus, just to keep himself sane. To not let the memories overwhelm and consume him. To remember who he was, and why he was here. But there were just so many... He was vaguely aware of the Scroll's central processor gently latching onto him and carrying him into a data stream.

 _Ą ́j̧̀̕ou̶r̵̸͢n̛͝ey̶͢.̕ ̧̛͘T̷̨o̕ ́a n̷͘ę͢͟ẁ͡ ͢p̡l̶̡҉à̢c͝e͢ ́͟h̀ę̸ ҉h̷̡a̴͘d ̡̕͝ǹeve͢͡͡ŕ͞ ͢béen̛͟.҉̴͝ ͘͜T̛o͜͠͡ld̸̢͜ ̵of̕͠ n͏̢ơ ́e̢n͜͠e̴̵͝ḿ̀ie͞s̶̡͟,̸ á͢n̢d̷ ͏͏l̢é́͘f̡t ́t̢͝o̕ w͜҉ơ͘n̸̸d̡̛̀e҉r҉.̶ ̕͏W̴̷̕o̵̡n҉҉̷d̸͝e̶̡͝r̷̴ ҉w͘͞hy̴͏ ͘t́h̸͞e҉̸y҉͝ ̸͡w͠en͞͞t̴̛ ̸th̢e̸r̨e͟.̧͞_

Memories. Such long, painful memories. They happened so long ago, yet he relived them now. Why had he done this? What could have made him decide this was necessary?

 _À Li͝fewor͏ker̨. ̶Ho͞w̸ ̴o͏d͠d͏. There͘ ͟wer͡e s̛o͞ few ͟l҉ef̛t, an͠d ̴aĺl̕ we͜r̡é ̴w̢o̢r͠ki͟ng̷ ͢fór t͘h̛e ̴Ar͟k.̢ R̶ea̕so҉n̨ f̵or͢ bein͞g͢ ̛he͢ŕe̴ m͏ust͏ b̀ȩ ̢g͡reat.͜_

Oh, right. The Scroll. That's where he was. He remembered now. How foolish for him to forget... What had he forgotten?

 _Ç̨͠ơ̷̢͢n̨̕͟f̴̢̨̧u̵̧͢͟s̷̛͏͞i̵̢ơ̴̵͡ǹ҉̶͘.̶͟͠ ̴̷̡̨͠S̴̴̕͢l̨͡ę̵̴e̴͠p͏̡?̶̷́͜͡ ͝͠D̴̴́͘͢ù̧͘͡͝r̨̕͞i͟͟͠͞n͟͡g̴̛̛͡ ̶̨s̷̶̡u̴̴̶̡͞c̵̢͘͝h̡̛͝ ̵̕͏̵a̢͢͞ ̨́́͜c͏̛͘̕r̶҉͢i҉͟ţ̀͟͠͠i͢͠͝͝c̢͟͝͞ą̕̕l̷̢͜͞͡ ̧͢͠t̢̕i͏̷͏͘m̷͡ȩ̴̢͟͟?͠ ̢̛͘̕͝P͜͏̢r̴̴̛é̕ṕ̡ơ̵̸̷ş̵́͢͝t̨͝ę͢͢͡r̶o̷u̴̵͜͞s̡̕͜.̴̡ ͢͠҉̷͘T̡͜͏h҉͏é͜͠ ͝͠D̀͏í̵͟͢d̨̛̀a̕͏ć̴͠͝t̸͢҉ ̷̸̴͞͡w̷͘͝͏o̡͟͞͡u̶̸l̀͘͟d̡́͝ ͘͘ń͢͞e̴̡͟v҉̵͜͡e͘͠҉̕r̡̛ ̀҉̵͡á̶l҉͜ĺ̕͟ó͟w̸͟͟ ͏͞ì͝t̸͞.̕͠ ̨̕͜͠T́͜͟͡͞h̡̨̀̀͢e҉̧̢͡ ̢̛̀͞L͢͜͞i̵̶͢͢f̨̧͏̧̧e̸͘҉́w̸̧͜͝o̴̴͡ŗ̡̕k̴͜e͏̷̛̀҉ŕ̕ ́͘ĺ̸̀͘i̕͟e̸̕d̴̢̢͝.҉͟_

Aries was able to make out small bits of Black Code clinging to him, examining him, scanning him, seeing what he was. What were they? Why did they probe him as they did? Were they looking for something? What was it?

 _Iţ͝ ̸al̕͞͝l̷͠ ́͜͟l̶ef̢̢t͏͜. A҉͡l̡̛l̨ ̴̸d̢o͟͢ųb͘̕t͘s҉̶̨ ̧̨͡l̡̧e̡f҉t ̷h̡͘͟iş min҉̶d̨ ̨a͠s̵ ń̷͜ew͢ ͏i͟n̵̨͠fo͠ŗ҉ma͏t͝͏̷i̶̵o͢҉n͢ ̴en͞te̛͢r͞͞ed̕.͢ ͟҉H̷̢e͝҉ ͏u҉̀͝nd̶͏ȩr͜s̷̶t̨́o͘ò̸d̵̨͢ n͠o̡w͝͞. ̶̡T̡҉h̸͘͢e͢i͠r̶͘͠ ͏c̢͡o҉̵͢n̛͟͝f̷̶l̸̨͞i̷͜c̷͝t̸͜ ̶̨w͝a̸s͟͡ ̕p̷̷o̡i͜͟nt̡͜l̴̨̢e͟s͏s͠.̡́͠ ̷̕I̸̶t̛҉̴ ́͠wo͢͝u̵͟l̶d̴̡̢ ̸a͡l҉l͞ ̧̨͝b͢͡e̴ ̨̕҉ò͞v́̀͘e̵̴͜r̸͞ ̸͞s̢̛o̡o͢҉n̕͟͢, ̧a̢̛ńd ̵t̶ḩ̵e̶͟y̸͟ ̛̀ẁo͟u̴ļ̶d̢ ̷̢͠b̨͏e͏̴̀ ͡l̸̛éf́҉t͝͠ t̕o ̡͜r̛a̶͜͞ḿ҉pan͢͝c͡y͏. ̨̢̧_

They would be forgotten? Why would - No. No, it wasn't real. That wasn't him. That was another, simpler, long dead version of him. He was no longer Crawler CA-67493128. He was Aries. His own individual self, subordinate and friend to John Midori. That was who he was.

 _Iţ̨ ͢w̡̕as͜ ͝t̢iḿ̡e͏͟͞ ̡t҉̶ǫ͘ s̕҉͢lè́͢e̡͘p̶̕.̸̛͝ ͜҉̷T̨o ̸̷̨e̶͟҉ń̵t̴͘͢er͏ ͏̶ò̧͘b̵̛͝l̴i̶͠͝v̨̕io͞n̨͢͟ ̶̸̕u̶nt҉i̵͘l͜ ̛su͡͡c̢̕͏h̸ t͡͏͘i͢m̴̢ȩ͞ ͘th̨͘͟a̢͝t͡ ͟͝͝he͢ ͏̢w̡͞a̴͝ś n̸͠e͟͟ę̛͟d̨͠e̵̶d̷ ̸͜o͏n̡e̸͞ ̶a͝g͢͞ain͜.̛ ̷͟H̸ȩ̴͝ ̕͜͟ẃ͢o̧u͢l̷̛͞d̨̨͞ ͟҉s҉̵e̢̛r̛v͏͝͠e͘͜ ̷͝͠a̡͘͡ga̷̛̛in͝,̧̕͟ ̶bu̶̕t͝ ̵̢͘f̷or ͘͟n͞o̵̴̢w̵҉̢ ͠h̡͜e҉̶ ̢w҉o̵ul̕͞d͟ ̀͠҉ś͜ĺ̢ę̢e̸ṕ͘͞.̷̧̨_

No, it wasn't time to sleep. It was time to act.

 _Ma̕ny ̕b҉e̕side hi̧m̧ va͜ni̶s̀h̀ed̕. ͞Th͏ei͠r͜ bodi̴es̢ digitalized ̵a͠nd ̧s̨t͝o͠red̕ ̡in st̡a͠s͢i͞s. ͝T̵he̕y̛ w̕o̵uld͏ ͟sleep̸ ͜t͡o,̨ u̸n̕tíl ͡it͜ ͏w͠as tim͠e ͟for̛ ̶th̨em ͠to͏ se̡r͘ve͜. ͏A͘nd ̀he̵ wo͝uld͝ l҉ead͞ ̨t̨hém, ̷uǹd̢er h͝i̵s͞ ̶ne̢w͟ l̶ea͜der.̢_

He could feel them. Bits of Black Code releasing him, and returning to their places to continue their jobs. Just as he would. As he entered the memory centre, he prepared to do just that.

 _I̧t́ ̛w̸a͝s ̶tim͜e͟ f̡ór̕ ́hi̸m͞ n̕o̡w̴ ̴t͜o̸ go͏.̶ ͘Hi̷s b̨ódy dis̡a̕p̀pea͠re҉d,͟ h̡i͞s ͢visio̶n̸ blac̛ke̡ne͏d.̕ ̕And h͢e͜ de̕s̴c̀e҉n҉d͠ed̵ ̷dee̸p ͢i͞n͘to͘ ̵th͏e voi͠d,̡ open͏l͞y ͟wel͟co͟m̀i̕ng͘ ̛h̛iş fi͏r͠s͘t, r͟e̴st̨ful̷ ͡s͢l̸u͡m̀be̢r.̕_

Finally, he severed the ties with the memories, and like logs on a makeshift raft, they all floated away. Leaving his mind blissfully clear, and with full knowledge of what he had to do next.

Refusing to waste even a single second, he stormed through the memory centre and found his programs. Thankfully they had gone unnoticed by the Black Code and were still diligently doing their jobs. But he swiftly put an end to their actions and quickly pulled them back into himself, lines of code latching onto the programs and drawing them close enough for his matrix to envelop them.

Automatically, the program tried to move all information they had found into his mind, but he quickly blocked them out. He didn't have time to go over them now, not with the situation as perilous as it was. His primary concern was to exfiltrate from the Scroll, and deliver all relevant information he had found to his larger half and the other Alpha's.

A brief survey showed him that the Black Code hadn't changed. It was still configured in the same net-like manner as before. Only now, it would be even harder for him to navigate, as now he had to get through the Scroll's outer firewall. There was nothing he could convert himself into in order to get transferred out through it naturally. The only thing leaving the Scroll was Red Code, and he didn't think he could mimic it well enough to fool the Black Code again.

Digitally, Aries huffed in irritation. He had thought earlier that a straight charge was suicide, and it very likely still might be, but he truthfully didn't see any other option. Trying to go slow and steady, and allowing more and more of the Black Code to cling on to him would only result in him being inevitably swarmed once again. But, it he was quick enough, he just might be able to make it out through the firewall before most of his programming was destroyed. Or at the very least, the sensitive information he had gathered could escape.

He took several metaphorical deep breaths, digitally braced himself, and before he could hesitate, launched himself out into the open.

* * *

John gasped as he attempted to catch his breath against the side of a burned building. He hadn't stopped running after initially fleeing the noise for what he thought was around ten minutes or so. Again, without a sun it really was hard to tell, but he felt like he had lost whatever it was that had been stalking him.

He took another deep breath of the stale air that seemed to be everywhere in the town. It always had the same stench of burnt wood, and what smelt to him like copper. The lack of wind didn't help either. Although, he didn't even know if there was any fresh air outside of the place to be blown in, as he still didn't know where he was.

He finally pushed off the wall he was leaned against and rubbed his face. He felt like the atmosphere of the town was really getting to him. The lack of people, noise, air, sky, and visible light source was all very unsettling. He never truly realized how much he took such things for granted. They all helped to offer distractions and events to focus on. But now that he was stuck in the eerie town and they were gone, he was left with nothing to focus on but the depressing appearance of the town, and his own thoughts.

He sighed deeply and prepared to continue his long venture deeper into the centre of the town, but a small flash of light suddenly caught his eye.

He turned his head to identify it, and saw it coming from the broken window of a nearby ruined house. It was a barely visible flicker of white light, occasionally brightening but remaining mostly dim. He tilted his head, curious.

He walked from where he stood and crossed the street, glancing both ways instinctively for cars, but also keeping an eye out for any signs of moment. He knew that whatever had been making those earlier noises may still be looking for him.

He cautiously approached the house and glanced in through the shattered window as he did. Whatever was causing the light was coming from around a corner-

 _Ssssssssssssssssssshhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh_

He froze as a familiar static-like noise reached his ears as he neared the house. It sounded identical to what he had heard earlier. There was no doubt about it.

He stayed very still, resisting his mind's prompts to reach back and activate Teardown. He simply stood there silently, listening to any changes in the sound.

 _Sssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssshhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh_

But as he continued listening and heard no changes, he-reluctantly-made the decision to investigate. Taking Teardown off his back, he flipped the switch he had only just recently discovered, and the weapon turned into its normal grenade launcher form.

Now armed, he very quietly tried the doorknob. It was unlocked, and he silently opened the door, thankful that it didn't creak or groan. He stepped inside and quietly creeped across the wooden floor towards the corner that hid the origin of the light from his view.

The barrel of Teardown peaked out from the corner first, before he just barely peeked his face around with it to see...

"Of course it's just a fucking TV." John swore to himself angrily.

He let Teardown's barrel droop and he stomped around the corner, heading to the piece of technology that had nearly given him a heart attack.

The TV was a very old styled box TV, with the antennas, knobs and all. It only had static on its screen, thus the sound he had heard. It must've been by coincidence that it sound just like the stalker from earlier. He didn't bother why it was the first technological device he had seen, or how it was running when it wasn't plugged into anything. He had long since given up trying to make sense of the entire place.

Shaking his head, he shrunk Teardown and slung it onto his back before kneeling and turning one of the knobs. With a loud click, the screen cut to black and the room plunged into both darkness and silence. Sighing, he stood from his spot and turned-

To a pair of small white eyes staring him in the face.

* * *

It didn't take long at all for a trail of Black Code to form behind him. He was slamming into small bits here and there, like bugs hitting the car of a windshield, but the majority had formed up and followed behind him. Meanwhile every bit that he had so far hit was clinging on desperately, despite his best efforts to remove them.

Each bit had also begun a new method for his destruction. Instead of simply tearing him apart, each piece was digging in and siphoning out small portions of code. It was a far more effective method of attack. It was also more motivation for him to hurry up.

Aries flew past the central processor, not even giving it a second glimpse as Black Code began funnelling out of it and heading in his direction. In fact, it seemed like Black Code was coming out of everything, not caring for any damage it was causing in the process. If he didn't know any better, he would've said the Virus was getting frustrated.

Even as the Black Code accumulated to a mass he'd yet to see, he didn't stop. He continued towards where he knew the wall, and the freedom beyond it, was.

Soon, he saw it. The Firewall in all its red glory. He didn't care for any alarms inside the Scroll anymore, thus there was no reason to go through it in a careful and similar method to how he had entered. At last, escape was within his grasp.

He formed a cone-shaped structure of the little code he had left in front of himself. Even as it was destroyed thanks to the black bits of code stuck to it, it didn't matter. It would drive through the firewall and take him right back to his other half, and this nightmare would be over.

A silent bark escaped Aries as he suddenly began to slow down. A quick glance to his side revealed to him why.

Bits of Black Code attached to him had begun to clump together, creating what looked like large black warts all over his code. Those clumps were then attached to by long but thing strings of code that were forming ahead of him. It appeared that it was trying a new strategy.

As each one grabbed on, his speed decreased. In a short amount of time, he would become motionless. And then the cloud behind would consume him.

Years of experience and stressful situations stopped Aries from panicking, but he would be lying if he said he wasn't worried. They were so close. So close! But at this rate they wouldn't reach the wall. Something needed to be done. Something-

He had it. A sacrifice. For the greater good. He could do that. He wasn't important, just a tiny fragment of the larger self. He was expendable, replaceable. And he didn't mind dying. In such little time, it was the only thing he could think of. But it was also the most likely to work.

Thinking quickly, he shoved all information he planned on delivering into the cone, and promptly disconnected it from his larger self, giving it a very strong shove as he did so. The cone shot off like a rocket from a launch pad, quickly moving despite the few strings that attempted to latch on. It wasn't long until the cone disappeared, and he was left alone.

He felt it burst through the firewall and fade away into the wireless world.

At long last, he was done. He had succeeded in his mission. He had collected all information he could find, and delivered it to his larger self.

Finally, he surrendered himself to the Black Swarm behind him, and allowed himself to be torn into cyber oblivion.

* * *

After almost twenty minutes, Aries was able to admit he was starting to get worried. It should not have taken this long to accumulate some information and bring it back to him, no matter how different the systems were. Data gathering was a relatively simple process compared to other actions.

There were may possibilities for his fragment taking so long. Difficulties interacting with the Scroll's systems exceeding expectations was one. Another was whatever security systems it had installed, if any. But he could still tell it was there. He could feel it through the link he still had with his fragment.

As if some deity was listening to his worries and wished to provide him with an answer, he suddenly received an influx of information, and the Alpha Crawler released a sigh of relief.

Aries happily absorbed all the information, pausing for approximately seven seconds as it was all converted and downloaded into his memory.

In an instant, he knew everything his fragment had collected. Every last bit of Intel was known to him, and it left a rather shocking impact. He needed to tell his fellow Alphas. They needed to know.

But as he prepared to reintegrate his fragment, to his surprise, he found it missing. He pinged the Scroll, expecting some form of a response. But his fragment remained silent.

Then, as quickly as it took to flip a switch, the link cut out. Indicating something very bad had happened to his fragment.

At the realization that a fragment of his matrix had been destroyed, Aries gave a huff of annoyance. It was no major loss, as it had only been a tiny portion of himself. Less then 1% to be specific. He could easily regenerate the loss, but it didn't mean he wasn't irritated by it.

But in addition to being annoyed, he was also confused. As well as a little worried. Something had to have engaged his fragment in cyber warfare. It was the only explanation to its sudden disappearance. Was this a common defence program? Did he have to worry about it for future times if he ever had to infiltrate a Human system again? The data from his fragment left no information regarding defensive programs inside the Scroll, but upon closer inspection he could see that portions of the program that had been attached to his matrix fragment were damaged. Some portions were even missing entirely.

Suddenly, he felt something. Some sort of signal was emanating from the Scroll, trying to connect with his systems. The effort was obviously pointless, as his systems were vastly different from the Scrolls. The signal was only getting as far as his signal transceiver, as that was the only component in his body currently able to interact with Human systems. But when it attempted to move further, it couldn't as there was nothing for it to move into.

Aries calmly reconfigured his transceiver to its original configuration, thus severing the signals attempts at accessing him. But he couldn't help but wonder how it managed to accomplish such a feat. To put it in Human terms, he was 'off the grid.' The Scroll shouldn't have been able to notice him, let alone try and connect with him. But he suspected that it was related to whatever caused the damage to his infiltration programs, and whatever caused his matrix fragment to disappear. He would have to discuss this with his fellow Alpha's.

Having found what he had came for, and now with irrefutable evidence to Cinder's guilt, Aries leapt down from the table and stalked over to the open window. His mission was complete, and not it was time to converse with his fellow Alpha's.

* * *

 **PROGRAM ASSIMILATION AT 89.4% COMPLETION. ADDITIONAL INFORMATION LOST.** **ATTEMPTING TO TRACE.**

Doctor Watts narrowed his eyes in annoyance. Despite his Virus's vest efforts, the intruder had managed to get away with some information. Some rather, _sensitive_ information.

It wasn't good to put it lightly. The particular information that the interloper had stolen had the potential to throw everything, all their plans and future actions, into chaos. It was an unacceptable failure, and he knew it.

Having a very good reason to, he quickly set upon assisting his virus in tracing their unwelcome guest.

 **TRACE SUCCESSFUL. NOW INITIATING COUNTER-INFILTRATION PROTOCOLS.**

He allowed himself a sigh of relief. Now, all he had to do was breach whatever firewalls his opponent had set up in his home system and quickly tear-

 **SYSTEM DISCONNECTED. TRACE LOST. RESUMING NORMAL DUTIES.**

He froze. They had- They just- How could-

Watts slammed a fist down on his desk angrily, accidentally spilling his coffee all over. But he paid it no mind. His attention was on something far more important.

The intruder had disconnected their system from the global network, thus severing all chanced he had at turning the situation back in his favour. Now that it was isolated, he had no way to get those files back. And there was only so much he could to if they tried to leak said files on the internet.

Doctor Watts put his head in his hand and sighed as the anger left his system. Getting frustrated would do him no good. It would only distract him. He needed to think. There had to be something he could do.

He hummed thoughtfully. Perhaps he could still turn the situation to his advantage. As much as he hated to admit it, the intruders program was very well written. If he could successfully amalgamate portions of the infiltrator's coding and insert them into his Royal Viruses, it would make them even stronger. They would be nigh undetectable, and may even have stronger defenses if he could figure out how the intruders worked. The only problem was, he was unfamiliar with this type of coding. Not to mention the unfamiliar symbols may still taint the coding after a transfer. It was possible it might make things easier for the mind behind the infiltrator program to breach and avoid his viruses.

He leaned back in his chair, rubbing his eyes tiredly. After this failure, he would need to work exceptionally hard to prove he was still useful to his queen. He shuddered to think about what would happen otherwise.

His train of thought was derailed as he heard the sound of his Scroll vibrating. He glanced down at his desk and picked it up, glancing at the caller ID.

He sighed again. Before he could deal with his boss, he'd have to deal with Cinder.

* * *

 **A/N: I swear, I never meant for this chapter to take as long as it did. I'm sorry about that. I could say that I didn't have much time over the Christmas Break, but honestly I just wasn't in the proper mood to write. I did get a few thousand words done over the break, but I still write the best in the School Library, which is where I am as of the time of posting this chapter.**

 **I realize that around the end detail becomes a little scarce, and I'm sorry about that. But I am just so absolutely fed up with trying to get this perfect, and I simply want to get past it. Thus, I gave it my best shot, and now I gave it to you. I hope you can all forgive me.**

 **Please review and tell me what you think, and as always, I'll see you next time.**


	16. Chapter 16 - Metaphysical Part 3

**A/N: This chapter was a bit of a challenge to write. It took me some time to try and get it all right. There are still some parts I'm a little unsatisfied with, but I don't think they're so bad that they'll take away from the reading experience. So now after this is posted, I'm going to get out another chapter of NAFTA, then American Dream, and then I'll work on chapter seventeen. Just wanted to let you all know.** **Anyways, please enjoy!**

 **Reviews**

 **BrutusPrimus: I'm glad I managed to succeed in what I was aiming for. I'm also glad you enjoyed it. Thanks.**

 **thermalsnipern7: I'm don't know how. I'm sure there's a reference in there somewhere, but I have no idea what it is.**

 **Guest: Now how would that make a good story?**

 **Guest: You'll see.**

 **Jack54311: Aries would've. But as you may have missed, much of the data was damaged and missing. Details about the virus happened to be among the missing data. I'm glad you liked the chapter though!**

 **couldrenblock: I'm glad it was enjoyable for you. It was my intention to make it detailed enough to be interesting. I hope you like this chapter as well.**

 **Guest: You are right about that. I suppose that was something I missed. You are correct about the lethality of Flood spores. I wont spoil if they will have a presence in my story or not, but if they do, I will be certain to take your suggestion into account. As for a duel with an Atlas specialist, I can already tell you that will not be happening. It couldn't, not without good reason. Which there is none. Anyways, I'm glad you are liking the story, and I hope you like this chapter.**

 **Guest: I'm glad you like both it and me. As for a Halo Vandread crossover, I unfortunately know nothing about the Vandread universe other then what I've learned from the crossover in my favorites. And I only have it there because it's one of the first stories I read on this site, and because I enjoyed it for what it was. Not what it was based on.**

* * *

Remnant's Reclamation

* * *

"AAAH, what the-" John couldn't even finish his shout and backpedal away from the eyes. Because before he could he felt a hard jagged object slam into his chest and send him flying backwards. The speed he had gained from the collision was so great, that when he hit the wall behind him, it simply shattered and he broke through it, causing him tumble onto the street outside.

His impact with the ground was sudden and jarring, knocking all the breath out of his lungs and leaving him on the ground gasping for air as bits of the house landed on and around him.

John didn't allow himself the luxury lying there for a few moments to catch his breath. He wheezed painfully and pushed the rubble off himself before quickly crawling to his feet, groaning as he did so.

 _Hissssssssssssssssssssssssssss grrrrrrrrrraaaaaaaaa..._

An icy shard of fear stabbed at his chest as his heart began beating a hundred times a minute. He glanced to the side where the he had been blown through the house, and saw the same pair of white eyes staring at him through the hole.

The two of them just stared at each other. Him, breathing heavily and sweating, and it, unblinking and motionless, just staring at him from inside the darkness.

After a few minutes, he finally broke the contest by quickly running and grabbing Teardown off the ground from where it landed and he lifted it up to point it at the eyes.

If the owner behind the eyes was affected in any way by having a weapon pointed at it, it didn't show it. It only continued to stare.

Then it moved.

Dozens of thick black tentacles clumped tightly together emerged from the house and silently pressed against the street, each tentacle spreading out in a different direction, acting a lot like a foot. The tentacles were thick and strong, and their appearance reminded him of obsidian in that they looked hard and rough, rather then the soft and smooth look of flesh he'd been expecting. He absently noticed each tentacle had several dozen small barbs attached along their length, as well as a a larger hook at each tip, reminding him a lot of an eagle talon or a fish hook.

He made a mental note to keep away from them.

The second leg soon followed, looking identical to the first. Shortly after, the head appeared.

The head was overall square-like in structure, and also coloured a pitch black. Its small white eyes sat on either side of its head close to its mouth, which was wide open as if it were giving an eternal, silent scream. Small teeth lined the outside of its mouth, looking too small to really do any damage. But by the appearance of its strong 'arms' and sharp blades, it didn't need large teeth to do damage. Not long after, the entire body was visible to him.

It was certainly an odd sight, and unlike anything he'd ever seen before. Not even the Flood had a form like it. It didn't really have a body, but rather its body was made up of tentacles, all of which appeared to originate from the solid head, much like a squid. A large, demented squid... From hell.

It seemed to walk on four legs. Putting one 'foot' in front of the other. But the tendrils that made up the creatures legs and body were constantly withering and moving around, but somehow maintained their shape. There were also several long tentacles sticking up above the main 'body' from behind the head, waving around aimlessly as if being blown around by the wind, despite there being none. It looked like some crude imitation of a crown or cape. To amplify its terror aspect, its mouth was glowing blood red from deep inside ins throat. Pulses of the red-yellow energy seemed to wave through the creature as well, going from its head to the tip of its tentacles.

To put it simply, it was _weird_.

But before he could think any further on the creatures peculiarity, it started stalking towards him slowly, as if it were deliberately trying to grate at his already tense nerves. It turned to the side and began to circle him, John making certain to keep the head of Teardown pointed in its direction the whole time. He still had no idea what it was, but was certain of two things. It was clearly a predator, and did not like him.

Then, without warning, it suddenly sprung at him, launching a spiral of tentacles from its body at his left leg. Only his quick reflexes allowed him to avoid the strike that almost assuredly would have broken his leg if the large crater that formed in the stone street where the limb struck was any indication.

After avoiding the attack and retreating to what he thought was a safe distance, he turned and promptly fired.

With three quick pulls of the trigger, three small metal spheres ejected from the barrel of the gun, Milliseconds later spikes ejected from their surface to enhance their lethality.

The firing of the launcher was a new experience for John, and he couldn't really say he liked it. The weapon had far too much recoil for his taste, as he was used to firing a weapon that shot pure light.

The grenades made a soft whistling noise as they flew through the air and sunk into the withering mass of tentacles before... Nothing happened. No explosion. No roar of pain from the creature. It didn't seem to care about the spiked grenades sticking to its body. In fact, it hadn't even tried to dodge the projectiles, and based on how fast it had struck at him, he was sure it was a very agile creature. But it hadn't tried to avoid the projectiles whatsoever.

Instead, using three of the tentacles that made up its body, it very calmly picked the live grenades off itself and whipped them into the sky, after which they quickly disappeared into the black void creature. It watched them go for a moment, then turned its head to look at him and huffed. It then began to sway its body side to side slowly in an almost snake-like manner.

John paused as he realized what it was doing. It was taunting him.

He growled and sent another flurry of grenades at the creature, only for the same thing to happen. They didn't detonate, and it simply plucked them off itself. It huffed and gave a low growl, as if it was getting annoyed with their little game. Though it didn't give him any time to consider the thought further as the creature quickly leapt at him once more, launching two more tentacles from the main body at him.

Both drove into the ground as he quickly dodged them, ducking under one and then leaping to the side to avoid the other. He thought it had been a good idea, until the creature wrapped a tendril around his leg and promptly threw him down the street. He smashed into the side of a house and fell to the ground in a heap.

"Okay, that didn't work." He grumbled to himself as he got to his feet, turning his eyes to glare at the creature.

Seeing it stalking towards him slowly, he quickly surprised he had enough time to look over the weapon. There had to be some way to make it work properly.

Of the three buttons and two switched it had, there were still two buttons that he didn't know the function of. One of which was under a plastic button shield, which made him hesitant to press it since Gemina clearly had a reason for giving it a protector so she didn't accidentally press it. But looking back up at the approaching beast, and with very little to lose, he flipped up the shield and depressed the button.

The weapon clunked loudly for several seconds as it vibrated slightly in his hands. Then, the barrel began to open up in an X shape, bending at just less then half of the guns length. Along the interior of each 'arm' were the same spiked grenades it used as ammunition. He recognized it as the same configuration she used to set up the minefield during their match earlier that day. As far as he knew, all the mode did was it allowed the user to fire a wide spread of grenades over a large area. But he already knew that Gemina had used specially modified grenades with sensors on them for the minefield, and judging by how none of the grenades had exploded thus far after impacting the creature, he guessed it wasn't currently loaded with them.

He looked back up at the tentacle beast, only to see that it had frozen in place. It was lower to the ground and had its tendrils spread over a wide area, giving the ground an appearance similar to that of a spider web. It looked as though the creature was ready to pounce.

"Oh? You don't like the look of this, do you?" John asked with no lack of joy in his voice, pleased that he had finally done something to make the creature hesitate. His only response was a strong growl that unavoidably sent a shiver up his spine. But seeing that he had managed to make the creature stop in place, he took a step back to try and gain some distance.

Apparently, that was the wrong decision. Instead of seeing it as a cautious back up, the creature must have seen it as a sign of weakness or fear. Because the moment he took the step back, it launched at him. Right in his direction and at an unbelievable speed. John didn't even have time to think as he instinctively pulled Teardown's trigger.

Literally a dozen or more of the small grenades launched from the gun with a loud shotgun-like bang. At the distance the creature had closed to, it was practically impossible for it to avoid the strike, even for something as fast as it was. Most of the grenades hit their mark and slammed into the creatures body with substantial force, sinking and clinging to its hard flesh. They just didn't hit hard enough force to stop the beast from slamming into him with the strength of a freight train.

As John's back slammed into the street he felt Teardown slip from his grasp. He didn't even have time to reach for it as he felt hard, cold tendrils snaking all over his body and pin him down.

As the creature situated itself hovering above him, the tendrils that made up its two front legs began to uncurl and slither over his chest, arms, and neck. He pushed and kicked at the smothering tentacles as hard as he could, even resorting to biting one that came to close to his neck. But all he succeeded in doing was waste his strength and hurt his teeth. As they began to wrap more of his body and squeeze tighter, John tried his best to fight back. But it didn't feel like his efforts were having any success when the creatures didn't even slow down.

Upon realizing that it was simply to strong to fight off physically, he stopped trying and instead reached up to its face that loomed overhead, glaring down at him emotionlessly. He clawed and grabbed at its face as he tried to jam a thumb into its eye socket. But instead of snarling or growling, it calmly grabbed his wrists with several tentacles and pinned them to the ground. Then, it started to squeeze.

Just like an anaconda, its tentacles wrapped around his chest and began squeezing tightly. With every breath they tightened and he got less and less oxygen to his brain, and his vision was quickly becoming fuzzy. Black spots appeared in his vision as he frantically panicked to free himself. But no amount of withering and bucking would loosen the beasts grasp on him.

All hope drained from his heart as the tendrils also moved to his neck, and began to squeeze there as well. It was cutting off every possible way for him breath.

As his vision began to fade, he made one last effort to escape, wrenching his left hand from the creatures grip and reaching around frantically. For a brief moment, he felt something. A cylinder. And without even knowing what it was, he grabbed it desperately. Then everything turned white.

The beautiful, stale town air rushed into his lungs eagerly as a painful boom rocked his eardrums and the tentacles retreated. For several moments, he laid there limply. Blind and deaf to the world around him as he gasped for air. But as his sense returned to him and his brain began to function, he was aware of loud, pained roaring, sounding much like a deep truck horn. He could also feel some sort of cold, black tar-like substance clinging to his face and chest.

Once his sight and breath returned, he painfully forced his head up to see the beast withering on the ground several meters away, its tentacles flailing around aimlessly. Presumably in pain if the damage was any indication. Several tentacles had been severed from the main body and were scattered around randomly. The stumps where they were blown off were now leaking black oily blood profusely, and he recognized it as the same substance covering him. Some tentacles had only been severely damaged and were barely hanging on, while others just had moderate damage to them.

It roared again, and he was able to make out its face through the withering roiling mass of tendrils. It was severely damaged, half of its face being missing along with an eye. Instead a black pit was all that remained of the right side of its face.

Looking up at the cylinder he had grabbed, he was able to see that it wasn't a cylinder at all. But rather Teardown's handle, with his thumb pressed against one of the buttons. It must have been what detonated all of the grenades that had still been lodged in the creatures body.

He left the creature to its torture and shakily forced himself to his feet grabbing the grenade launcher, coughing as he did. But as he picked up Teardown once again, he noticed something that he'd missed previously. The second switch had been accidentally flipped, probably when he'd been smashed through the house, and turned on the red light that sat on top of the weapon. But he was distracted from this discovery when the beast roared particularly loudly, causing him to flinch and face it.

The beast had gotten to his feet, and was now staring at him with a look of what he could only describe as pure hatred and loathing. John expected it now wanted to give him a death much more violent then suffocation.

With the same look on its face, the creature began to approach him, and with nothing to lose, John flipped the switch back, watching as the red light winked out. Also noticing the creature suddenly stop, flinch and tense up, which he took as a good sign. Moving the weapon into a firing position, he took aim once more and fired.

This time, he did get a reaction from the creature as it quickly jumped to the side to avoid the projectile, which exploded against the street and sent its small spikes flying everywhere, a few even striking the creature and sinking in. But he couldn't tell if it didn't notice or simply didn't care when it made no effort to remove said spikes. Instead it only turned its gaze on him with a heated glare.

"Huh, that's curious. You know how this gun works, don't you?" His assumption was proven correct as the creature visibly tensed when he moved the end of the barrel in its general direction. "Interesting." He mused. There was no other explanation as to how it knew that the grenades would explode now that the switch was in its particular position. It didn't try to avoid them before he switched it to what he assumed was 'explode on contact' mode.

Without warning, the creature punched through a nearby house with a spiral of tentacles and brought out a couch, which it then promptly threw at him.

Surprised by the sudden action, and by the sheer speed of it, John was only able to hold up the grenade launcher in an attempt to shield himself from the high-velocity impact. The piece of furniture broke in half as it hit him, flying to both sides as he was sent sprawling backwards once more. John managed to utilize his momentum and roll into a crouched position. He glanced up to see the creature rushing at him with incredible speed, and he swiftly brought the muzzle of Teardown to bear before firing.

Several grenades soared out of the barrel, only for the creature to swiftly dodge from side to side as it closed in. Despite his best efforts, every projectile he launched was quickly and effectively dodged. He even saw one go right through the beast when it peeled back tendrils to leave a hole through its body.

Once in range, it swirled several of its tentacles in a rotating pattern, spinning faster and faster, building up speed just before the tendrils snapped forwards like bullwhips and slammed into John, hurling him backwards.

The kinetic energy of the strike was incredibly powerful; John was sent flying dozens of meters backwards, before he smashed into the upstairs room of a nearby house as Teardown was ripped from his hands by the impact. His back slammed the roof of the room fortunately didn't go through. Instead he left a crater in the roof and then face-planted the hard wooden floor after gravity took hold.

"Oww." He groaned painfully. "I have got to stop crashing through stuff today."

His thoughts were quickly derailed as the house shook and the creatures head rose to look through the hole he had made, immediately locking its eyes onto his prone form. It forcefully shoved its large body through the smaller hole he'd made by his entrance and crawled inside.

Panicking slightly at being in such a compromising position, John rushed to his feet and grabbed the nearest object he could find, which happened to be a bedside lamp, and threw it.

The piece of metal harmlessly smacked it right on the top of its head, actually causing it to stop. The creature simply shot a glare at him which clearly said it was not amused.

John smiled weakly and gave a nervous chuckle. "Um, I don't suppose you'd accept an I'm sorry?"

It snorted.

"Yeah, I didn't think so." Without another second of hesitation he ran out of the room and slammed the door shut behind him. As he moved to the stairs he could hear the beasts muffled roar, followed by the sound of the door being broken off its hinges. He didn't bother looking back as he jumped down the stairs, clearing several at a time. After reaching the bottom he leaped through the open window in the living room and combat rolled onto the street. After a quick survey with his eyes he located Gemina's weapon several meters away.

The sound of breaking wood and more furious roars behind him swiftly motivated him to run. He had really been hoping the size of the house would impact the large creatures ability to move quickly, but judging by the sounds of damage it was making to the house behind him that wasn't the case, and it was likely just ripping though everything.

Just as he reached Teardown, he heard the house behind him burst and saw small pieces of wood fly past him. He reached down and grabbed the gun, flipping a switch and turning as the grenade launcher shifted into its staff form before spinning to face his pursuer. Sure enough, the black creature was storming towards him, with a non-too pleased look on its face before it rushed him once more.

As Teardown finished its transformation and the creature neared, John dug in his heels, lifted the heavy staff up, and just as he was about to be tackled to the ground, he brought the staff down with every last ounce of strength he could muster.

The spiked club slammed down on the top of the creatures head, knocking it flat to the ground and creating a small crater around its head from the force of the strike.

The beast withered violently beneath the heavy staff as it tried to free itself, somehow not affected by the spikes driven through its skull. A flailing tentacle struck John across the face, leaving a line of blood on his cheek and instinctively causing him to back away, taking the weapon with him.

With the spikes no longer pinning it to the street, the creature clumsily got to its feet and glared at him with what he could only describe as pure, undiluted hatred in its eyes. Even more than before, which he hadn't though was possible.

John growled angrily, now feeling just as much anger against it. Why couldn't it just die already!?

The creature shook its head violently from side to side before staring at him. It took a tentacle and rubbed over its face, cleaning it of some blood and making it splatter against the ground. Clearly it was beginning to feel the effects of its numerous injuries.

Giving what sounded like a mixture of a growl and a sigh, it took a step forward, but then stopped as suddenly a brilliant bright pulse of red-yellow energy surged across the black sky above, making both combatants look up. The creature paused and cocked its head, and its soulless white eyes momentarily turned yellow. When they returned to white, it returned to glare at him. It growled at John once more, but then, to his surprise, turned and ran towards a nearby building. It leaped up the wall, crawled over the roof, and quickly disappeared from sight.

He stood still and waited to see if it would come back. But after several minutes elapsed, he felt confident that it was gone. He breathed a sigh of relief and relaxed. "...Very interesting." He spoke to himself as he compacted Teardown and slung it onto his back.

Having just participated in yet another odd event, he mentally went over what had happened. In the hopes of figuring something out.

He came face to face with a creature that looked like it came right out of a movie, it attacked him, they fought, it revealed it somehow knew how Gemina's weapon worked, and then after a huge lightshow in the sky, it took off. After several minutes of intense concentration and contemplation on these facts, he believed he had arrived at the most logical answer.

"Okay yeah, I have no idea what to think about that." He said, vicing the same thoughts he'd been having ever since he'd arrived in this nightmare.

John groaned loudly. "For fucks sake! Why can't anything in this hellhole here make sense!?" He shouted, and listened as his voice reverberated around the area. Predictably, he received no answer, and he sighed heavily.

Glancing up at the sky, he noticed how the red-yellow light was now much more vibrant and active as it shone across the sky, much like an aurora. If the image had the traditional starry background, it might've looked quite beautiful. But with only the pitch black of the void to be seen, while it certainly made the colours more vibrant, it only made the show look more ominous.

John sighed. Just what was he supposed to do now?

* * *

The cavernous hallway was completely silent, save for the calming, rhythmic beat of the heart monitor that echoed through the halls. The sheer size of said halls below Beacon was purely ridiculous considering its only known intended use of housing the Fall Maiden. Truly, there was no need for such effort to create a place that was supposed to remain hidden to the majority of the planet. Thus the artistic flares and overall aesthetic appearance of the entire underground structure, a structure that maybe a dozen people might see in a century by his guess, seemed completely pointless.

These were the thoughts that roiled around in Remus' digital mind over and over again as he tried to fathom some form of logical reasoning for the undeniable effort it took to build the vault in the decorated fashion it was. It was possible the place was constructed before the rest of Vale, and thus there was no rush to finish its construction and they could take the time to decorate it. Or perhaps one of the constructors, or people knowledgeable of the structure, simply wished to make it look nice after it was erected. Or perhaps the decoration actually had some hidden meaning to it. Concealed camera's or sensors possibly. Or maybe some other sort of system he was unaware of. He hadn't detected any such things from his scans, but they could have been shielded somehow.

Regardless of the engineers thoughts during the buildings design, it didn't matter. For the vaults size, appearance, and apparently hidden object, none of them were relevant to his presence down in the vault. No, instead, he was there for the Fall Maiden.

Remus lowered his orange eyes from the high roof down to the metal pod resting in front of him, and on the person inside it.

In many ways, it resembled a primitive stasis pod that some species of the galaxy had once used before the firing of the array. Only it lacked a method to slow a persons metabolism, thus still allowing them to age at a normal rate. However the life support systems attached to the pod were strikingly similar to very early Forerunner designs. He theorized that this was not a coincidence, but rather the work of the Librarian's Seeds which caused the device and the technology behind it to eventually be invented by these Humans. It was truly a remarkable example of evolution and his makers grasp over it at work.

Inside said pod was the Fall Maiden. Unconscious and weak, merely a shell of her former power if what he knew of her was true. She was wearing simple white shorts and bra, neither of which helped cover up the web-like discolouration marking the skin over her left eye.

For the fifth time since he had arrived in Vales equivalent of a basement, Remus scanned the Maiden's aura. A separate screen appeared on the edge of his vision, showing seven lines that moved up in a consistent up and down pattern. He then overlaid it over another signature, the one 135 Unhallowed Curator had given him. The one detected inside the facility.

Of all seven lines between the two different signatures, five were identical, one was very similar, and only the last one was different enough to be considered unrelated. Overall, it had a 82.86% match to the signature that they were looking for. It was the closest match that any of the Alpha's had found, and closer then any other scan. Only one other could match the similarity.

Dismissing the Fall Maiden's aura signature, and instead pulling up that of Cinder Fall, so far their primary suspect, he overlaid the two signatures and conducted his analysis. Three of the strings were identical, two were somewhat similar, while the last two were completely dissimilar. _It_ had a 67.14% match to the signature he was searching for, and a 53.94% relation to the Fall Maiden as she currently was.

The discovery of Aura Signatures had been Hallow's greatest achievement in the field of aura research so far. It was something that not even the humans had discovered. Upon experimentation, Hallow discovered that by using a sweeping scan of Phaze Particles, an invisible substance discovered by his makers which occupied the same space as most matter in the universe, traveling at the speed of light, he could determine the appearance of aura.

Its method of operation was quite simple really. Hallow first discovered it after a scan of a random person with aura using Phaze Particles. All the Phaze Particles traveling around the person continued on unimpeded. But all of the particles that came into contact with the person would, for some reason, bounce back with a seemingly random web-like outline imprinted on it. This 'web' disappeared quickly, meaning he only had a few seconds to copy the image and store it away after repeating the test. But upon conducting the experiments on other subjects, Hallow found that this 'outline' was completely unique to each person, while always the same for one person. It hadn't taken Hallow long to realize the web-like outline was the result of a persons aura, as experiments on people who didn't have aura had no effect on the Phaze Particles whatsoever.

Further experiments showed that people who were related often had one or two of these web-like lines to be identical to each other, which Hallow suspected had something to do with genetics. But when he had scanned several pairs of civilians, chosen based on observations which showed them to be close companions, Hallow discovered that sometimes a single string would match, despite sharing no genetic relation. This only deepened the mystery as to how aura worked.

There was only one event where Hallow found a match of three or more strings between people, and that was with twin siblings. It was the only time that a scan had given a match of over 50%. That is, until Cinder Fall showed up. Scans showed she had no genetic relation to the Fall Maiden whatsoever, meaning they were certainly not twins, yet their aura's were strikingly similar. Thus it left only one available explanation: That she had somehow stolen the fall Maidens powers, just as Ozpin had said. Not only that, but her match to the intruder inside the facility at the time of the Flood's release could not have been a coincidence. Nor could the fact that her aura was currently a 53.94% match for the Fall Maiden. It was why she was currently under investigation by himself and the other Alphas, with Aries taking the lead.

While the scans of the Maiden's Aura were what he had come down there for, they weren't the only reason. The other, was the advanced technology inside of the pod. Or rather, advanced for its unique technological purpose. There was a module inside the pod, specifically designed to interact with aura. From what he could gather from his scans, it was designed to collect and transfer a persons aura to another location. The method of how it did so he wasn't sure of yet.

It was unlike anything that the Forerunners had ever created, and Hallow had so far been unsuccessful in creating a technological device that could interact with aura all on his own. The monitor had only found success with reading and detecting aura, but so far all experiments with trying to manipulate it had failed.

But upon a routine sweep of Vale by Stealth Sentinels, now including the Vault below Beacon, a discovery by a Stealth Sentinel showed that a component inside the machine could accomplish what the Monitor could not, and Hallow had requested one of the Alpha's to travel and scan the device, as they had far more advanced scanners then the Stealth Sentinels could have.

As Remus' mind continued to roil, he disconnected and disassembled his left hand from his arm and, using the gravity-plating covering its exterior, floated it over to the rear of the machine. Connecting to the back of it was a screwed metal panel, hiding the component he was after behind it. Using the multiple shards of floating metal, the Soldier Captain generated an invisible magnetic swirl which slowly unscrewed the bolts connecting the panel to the life-pod.

A few moments later, the screws and the panel were resting on the ground. The metal pieces that made up his hand returned to him and reformed. While they did that, the metal plates that made up his left 'eye', which were really just a portion of his primary scanner, detached from his face and soared behind and then into the machine. They pressed up tightly against the identified component, which was mostly cylindrical in shape, and began to scan it.

Waves of energy coursed through the module, identifying everything that made it up. Every single wire, every single screw, every single fleck of dust was examined on the closest atomic and molecular level. Every element and alloy inside it was identified, cataloged, and processed back to Remus as an atomic schematic of its interior began to take shape inside the Soldier's mind. Remus was concentrating so closely on the scan, that his audio processors had automatically decreased their sensitivity by more then 90% to decrease distractions. As a result, he didn't hear the footsteps approaching behind him.

"I must admit, I never expected those motion cameras to actually be of any use."

Remus temporarily slowed the scan. He didn't bother turning around to see who it was. He already knew.

"But then again, I never expected anyone to find their way down here. Especially by means other then the elevator." Professor Ozpin said calmly before taking a sip from his coffee mug.

Remus didn't respond. He didn't feel the need to. All he had to do was finish his scan and leave.

"I know you can hear me. John told me how intelligent you all are, and that some of you could speak. Forgive me if I'm assuming incorrectly, but the fact that you have a human shape leads me to believe you can speak. And I'd like to know what you're doing down here if you don't mind."

Remus internally snorted. Sure, the headmaster might have been right. But that was still no reason for him to talk.

"You know, I'm going to have to talk to John about this. I could simply ask _him_ why you're down here."

... Blackmail however, that was an efficient motivator.

Giving a soundless sigh, Remus turned around to stare at the Headmaster of Beacon. "John doesn't know of my presence down here. I would prefer to keep it that way." His voice sounded deep and artificial, with an almost scratchy metallic composition to it.

The professor did nothing more then raise an eyebrow. "Well then if you're not down here on John's order, then why are you here?"

"My business here is my own. I have no reason to tell you." The soldier said defiantly.

"Forgive me, but considering you're in a place that extremely few people are supposed to know about, and even less have ever seen, and the fact that you're below _my_ school, I think it _is_ my business." Ozpin responded, his voice completely unchanging.

Remus didn't give a response. He just continued staring at the professor.

Ozpin met the Soldier's artificial gaze unwavering. It held for a few seconds, before he shrugged. "Well, then I suppose I could simply ask John. From what he has told me, you and the rest of his machines report to him. I'm sure if he asked you, you would tell him. Wouldn't you?" There was no smug tone or look on Ozpin's face, but Remus wasn't sure if he was hiding it or if it was truly absent.

Seeing no other option, Remus began. "I came here to scan the Fall Maiden's aura, and examine the components that make up the life support system she is currently on." He explained, irritated that he was being forced to answer questions he didn't want to.

The man merely nodded. "I see. And why are you doing that?"

Despite knowing full well he was breaking almost every protocol there was when it came to classified information, Remus also knew he had no choice but to answer. "The Fall Maiden's aura signature is very similar to the signature detected in the facility before the Flood were released. Thus it is the Monitor's belief that whoever is your False Maiden, is also the one who released the Flood from the facility. I came down here to acquire a more detailed scan. As for the component inside of the medical pod, it is unlike anything the Monitor is currently able to build relative to aura manipulation. Thus I was tasked with inspecting it and sending the results to the Monitor, so that it may use the scans to improve and expand its research." The Soldier Captain concluded.

The headmaster was quiet for a solid minute as he thought over everything Remus had told him. "So my False Maiden, released the Flood inside your facility. And now you are trying to find her?" He questioned.

Remus just nodded.

"I see. Well then, it seems as though we have the same goals in mind. Tell me, do you have any suspects?" He questioned.

"I see no reason to tell you." Remus instinctively said. He didn't want to tell him. The Soldier wanted to keep things internal, between the Forerunner constructs. Not even John was knowledgeable about this matter, so why did Ozpin deserve to be?

The professor stared at the soldier for a moment, and sighed. "Look, I understand that you have no reason to trust me. You're likely much older then I am, despite how absurd the thought might've been to me a month ago," Remus was confused by what Ozpin meant by that, but didn't interrupt, "and you have probably seen your fair share of deceit in your long life." He wasn't completely wrong there. The betrayal of 032 Mendicant Bias had affected everything related to the Forerunners. Himself included. "But believe me when I tell you we are on the same side. I simply want to catch the False Maiden, the same as you. Though I admit it's probably for different reasons. But we should still help one another. That way we can have a better chance at succeeding. Surely you can understand that?"

Remus had to admit the human did have a point. With a soundless groan of defeat at the hand of his logic, he began. "We have several suspects, but that is all. We cannot confirm yet if any of these people are who we are searching for. None of the subject's aura is a direct match to the Maiden, or to the intruder's signature. Only some are similar. But for all we know, it is simply a random mutation based on pure chance. However, if we confirm any of these people are our target, we will inform you."

The headmaster paused, but then nodded his head. "Thank you. I would very much appreciate that."

It was a straight up lie. If Ozpin wanted the maiden, then it was likely for one reason. To kill her, and give the power back the the real maiden. That was unacceptable. They needed the False Maiden alive. For a short time, at least.

Should they find the False Maiden, then they needed to know a few things from her first. They needed to know how she knew about the facility. How she entered it. How she knew to deactivate the containment locks. And finally, what the Maidens power truly was.

Every form of energy had a certain nature to it. Light was made up of photons. Dark matter naturally occupied most empty space in the galaxy. Phaze leaked into their dimensional plane from ruptures in slipspace as a result of frequent travel and occupied most matter in the universe. The Maidens power however, was a complete mystery. One which the Monitor hoped to uncover.

"But if I may ask, why you would keep this kind of information from John?" The professor's voice suddenly cut through his thoughts.

Remus gave another invisible sigh and turned his back to the headmaster. "I'm not sure if you fully understand what happened down in the facility. It would be traumatizing for most people, but John and his team fortunately managed to keep their sanity. More or less, at least. We have noticed they suffer from more nightmares since the incident, but so far that is it. But we still believe they all need some time to simply live their lives normally. To recover. John and his team need the rest, to allow their minds to return to normal. We simply don't see the need to involve them in something like this when they don't have to be. I don't expect you to understand."

He heard nothing behind him at first, but then perceived a soft sigh. "I do actually. Better then most people... I won't stop you from conducting your scans or keeping this from John if those are your wishes. But consider this." The Headmaster walked up and stood beside the Soldier. "Is John more likely to distrust you if you admit everything to him? Or if he finds out for himself? Consider how he will feel if he finds out what you've done behind his back, despite his trust for you."

"Should he find out, then what he chooses to do is of his own decision. Whatever that may be doesn't matter to me. I have no emotional bond with him, nor will I ever. To this day, I have not spoken a word to him." Remus explained emotionlessly.

"Really? Why is that?"

Remus turned his head to stare the human in the face with his one remaining eye. He wasn't sure if the human deserved to know, or if he would understand. But reviewing how much he had told the headmaster already, Remus decided to just humor the man. "You claim I have lived very long. You are right. In that time, after seeing so many Forerunners killed off by the Flood, and so many Prometheans destroyed, I have learned just how fragile life truly is. I learned how quickly it can disappear, and the effects it can have on the ones close to those lost. My fellow Alpha's don't seem to care about this, but I do. I accept that I may one day die, but when I do, I don't want to leave anyone behind feeling upset about my demise. I don't want to leave anyone venerable." The old Solider Captain explained, his tone remaining completely unchanged.

Ozpin seemed to consider the Soldier's point for several moments, before finally finding the right thing to say. "But is that truly what you want? Is that really how you want to be remembered?"

He went quiet, leaving the questions to process through Remus' matrix.

"While I don't exactly approve of you simply appearing down here without warning, I will leave you to finish your work. But next time, please _ask_ before coming down here. It's hidden and secured for a reason, after all." Without another word, the man silently turned and walked away. The only sound he gave was the steadily disappearing tap of his cane, and eventually the hum of the elevator going back up to the surface. After that, there was nothing but the calming, rhythmic beat of the Maiden's heart monitor that echoed through the halls.

Remus spent much time on the question given to him by the headmaster. _"Is that really how you want to be remembered?"_ Was it? To be honest Remus had never thought about how he would be remembered. Did it really matter though? When he passed, there would be nothing for him. He had no foolish beliefs of a place after death. He had no soul, and thus could not follow the organics after they died, if it was true that they actually went anywhere. They could face the same fate as him; complete and utter oblivion. But if that were the case, then why did so many try their best to find a place in their history books? Why did it matter to them?

The Soldier hadn't realized how much time he had spent in his thoughts until they were interrupted by another voice.

 **"Remus, please respond."**

At the sound of Strategos' voice in his mind, Remus shut out his roiling thoughts and stored them deep in his memory before diverting his focus to the Knight.

"Remus here. Why are you contacting me?" There wasn't supposed to be any communication between them unless it was absolutely necessary. To allow them to focus more on their objectives.

 **"We seem to have a problem. Please return to John's room as soon as you are able."**

"Acknowledged. I'll be departing shortly."They both cut communication, and a few minutes later once the atomic structural scan was complete, he reformed the plates with himself and took one last look around the huge hallway. Then he converted himself into white energy and streaked up to and through the roof, heading up to team JAGR's room.

* * *

DOWNLOAD COMPLETE

It was just two little words. Two little words, that had a very simple explanation, but carried a huge meaning behind them. A meaning that threatened everything. A meaning that fueled the deep, searing sensation in her chest that only continued to grow with every second that passed.

DOWNLOAD COMPLETE

Just. Two. Words. Two words that threatened to make everything she had learned, everything she had done, completely worthless. Completely, and wholly pointless. And for the first time in a long time, Cinder didn't know what to do.

It was taking every ounce of self-control she had not to incinerate the tablet in her hand, and its profane message along with it, into a charred unrecognizable mess. It would be so easy, and require so little effort. But she knew it would not dismiss the growing feelings that festered in her mind.

"Mam, are you okay?"

Her eyes didn't move from the message. Okay? Was she okay? What a stupid question.

"How do you think I'm feeling right now?" She asked, still not looking at either of the other two occupants in the room.

Emerald flinched at the sharp, emotionless tone. She stuttered for an answer until her companion took over.

"I'm gonna take a guess and say you're upset." Mercury said with a joking tone. She knew it was his attempt to try and lighten the mood, but he failed. And he knew this when Cinder turned her glowing eyes on him with a look of undisguised annoyance. The grey haired teen flinched at the sharp glare and quickly looked away.

Looking back to the tablet, Cinder's frown deepened. It was all Watts fault. It was completely his fault. He had boasted for days after creating his virus about how advanced and impressive it was. Stating that it would never be detected or defeated, and that their plan could only fail if she screwed up somehow.

Oh how wrong he turned out to be.

She knew that this was Watts fault, and she knew that her mistress would know it to. He was the reason why a considerable amount of vital information had been copied and stolen. The doctor would likely be punished severely for his failure. It was a thought that should have made her feel better, but didn't. The situation had drained all positive feeling from her, and she was in no mood to conjure up fantasies of the punishments Watts would likely experience.

Releasing a deep sigh, she opened the tablet and extended the notification screen, planning to see exactly what had been taken. But she paused when she noticed that the message had been duplicated, indicating two different downloads. She tapped on the second notification, which had occurred only a minute after the first one as indicated by the time-stamp.

A list appeared showing numerous file names that had been copied and downloaded by the infiltrator. Some weren't that important, while others showed highly incriminating information. The sight made her pinch the bridge of her nose and shake her head. The situation could not be worse.

She tapped the second message, and was shown another list of files. However unlike the previous one, this one was filled with over two dozen files with titles she couldn't understand. They were completely random, made up of words and numbers in no discernible pattern to them. None gave any indication to what each file held.

Curious, she tapped one of the files. Her ears were instantly met with a painful metallic screech as the entire screen turned into a churning orange storm.

Cinder and her compatriots winced at the painful sound and she quickly turned down the volume. Once done, she examined what had happened to her device. Tapping the screen, a video menu popped up, and she realized the sight was nothing more then a video. She took a look at the video length, and was surprised to see that it was nearly three hours long. Why would the infiltrator steal files from her tablet, and then replace them with pointless lengthy videos?

She pressed a finger to the screen and dragged the video bar across the screen, speeding up the video considerably. For the first two hours of it there was nothing but orange static. But a few minutes after the two hour mark, she sees the screen change briefly before turning back to orange static. Frowning, she moved the video back to where it changed, and pressed play.

The metallic screech turned into the sound of unfamiliar gunfire and explosions. The video followed quickly after to reveal their origin. It showed futuristic metal robots marched forwards as they fired odd orange weapons. The robots were in various forms, from small dog-like creatures to hulking behemoths as large as a CCTS tower. The camera filming it was shaky and low to the ground, occasionally flashing orange and showing similarly coloured bolts flying away from it into the crowd of robots. But out of everything the video showed, there was one thing that was glaringly obvious to her.

"Those things belong to that kid! That John guy!" Mercury exclaimed upon seeing the video, unintentionally voicing her thoughts. Emerald also leaned in, curious by what the video held.

"So they are." She said in a monotone.

She watched for a few more seconds, revealing a vast army of the metal creatures similar to what she had seen down in the arena earlier that day. And then the camera turned, revealing just what it was that the army was fighting. All she saw was a brief glimpse of twisted rotten flesh before quickly shutting off the video and closing the tablet into its portable mode.

Emerald and Mercury flinched at the sudden abruptness of the action. "Mam? What was-"

"Don't you worry about what that was." She suddenly cut her off as a sly smile grew on her face. She glanced down at the closed tablet. "All you need to know, is that we now have a new way to inspire fear into the hearts of men."

The two teenagers looked at one another, a glimmer of confusion and apprehension in their eyes. They didn't get a good look at the twisted creature in the video, but Cinder's claim was enough for them to fear it already.

"Mercury." The boy jumped at Cinder's sharp tone. "Call Adam Taurus and arrange a meeting at the safehouse in two days. He needs to be informed of the recent developments." The boy paused momentarily, but then nodded.

"Emerald, go out and see if you can find any of those machines." She lifted the tablet as she spoke. "Monitor what they're doing. In the meantime..." Her smirk grew. "I think the good Doctor Watts deserves a chance to redeem himself."

* * *

John had said it earlier, and he was ready to say it again. He hated his life.

As he progressed his confusing journy, the town around him had somehow become even more devastated. Most of the buildings he saw now were so damaged they could hardly be called houses anymore. Most were nothing more than empty husks of wood or only had the skeleton of the house left. The ground was so damaged that it was like trying to climb an army of small mountains. And the air around him had literally begun to thrum with the strange energy. He could feel it pulsing against his skin every few seconds. Every time he felt it, he couldn't help but think about how similar it sounded and felt to a heartbeat. Putting it lightly, it was really unsettling.

John's nerves were practically vibrating with how anxious and jumpy he had become. Every creak of a house, every falling rock from the huge hills, every boom of the floating islands colliding, made him jump and flinch. Ever since he had encountered the unknown tendril creature earlier, he had been on edge. The fact that something was stalking him didn't help matters either.

It wasn't a matter of belief or gut feeling either, he _knew_ something was there. He could see it every so often. A blur disappearing behind a house, a soft whoosh of air, a pair of unsettling small eyes staring at him from dark shadows. There was no question about it. Something was following him.

He could tell it wasn't the same creature from before. Not only was it almost completely silent, something that the previous monstrosity certainly hadn't been, but its eyes were different as well. Whereas the last creature had a small pair of solid white eyes, this one had black eyes. The only way he could tell against the darkness it always hid in was because its two eyes were outlined by thin white halos. All he could really see was two white rings peering back at him from a dark area.

So far, it hadn't done anything. It only appeared, watched him for a few minutes, and then disappeared. It didn't move, it didn't blink, and it didn't make a single sound. It only appeared, and disappeared.

He had tried to attack it the first few times he saw it. But the moment he reached his arm to grab Teardown off his back, it would disappear. He had tried blowing up the area it had disappeared from, thinking that maybe it was still there but had just hid itself, but it ended up being pointless. It always showed up a few minutes later.

In the end, he had opted to just ignore it. He still saw it every so often, but he didn't give it a second glance. He refused to give it the satisfaction, no matter how much its presence was disturbing him.

Eventually, he found himself standing in front of another chained house. Somehow, it had been spared the destruction of everything around it. It looked the exact same as the last one he had seen, with one key difference. It was open.

Unlike the last one, which had been boarded and chained up tightly, without a single opening anywhere, this one was wide open. The boards had been blown off the windows. The chains had shredded and mangled, and were lying in dozens of pieces all over the area. As for the door, he couldn't even see where it had disappeared to.

Jacob saw that out of every single opening he could see, black smoke with flakes of something like ash was leaking out and into the air, condensing in a thick cloud above the house that rumbled violently like thunder. But he couldn't see a single flame inside the house, and he didn't smell or hear fire either.

John sighed. "And here's more stuff that doesn't make any sense." He grumbled.

His eyes lingered on the house, before moving up to stare at the cloud. As strange as it might've sounded, it was almost soothing to look at. It looked a lot like a thundercloud, making it the one thing he had seen so far that had any real resemblance to something from the real world, even if just barely. Its appearance and the sound of thunder it emanated gave him something familiar to focus on, and allowed him to shut out the whole mess around him. It just gave him a few moments of welcome reprieve. The only thing that didn't fit with the picture was its solid black colour and a soft chittering noise coming from the cloud.

 **"Jo-... Wha-... -ing"**

John's head snapped up as he heard the familiar, but broken voice of Strategos inside his head. "Strategos! Hey! Are you there!? Can you hear me!?" He yelled frantically, hoping his voice would reach the Knight.

 **"John? Why are you yelling? And why aren't you moving?"** The Knight with a puzzled tone in its voice, now coming though his head clearly.

He frowned in confusion. "What are you talking ab- Never mind! Listen, I'm trapped in some sort of twisted alternate reality, and I have no idea what the fuck to do! Can you help me?"

 **"Alternate reality? What do you mean?"**

"Look, I just-" John stopped. How was he supposed to explain something that he didn't understand? "What do you see right now?" He asked simply.

 **"See?" Strategos couldn't have sounded more confused by this point. "I see you kneeling on the ground, next to Gemina sleeping in bed, with your hand against her face. And neither of you are moving." He explained.**

John blinked. "What?" Had he really never moved? Was he really still in his room? But if he was still there, then what was everything around him? "Alright, listen. I don't know what happened, okay? But after I touched Gemina's face, I appeared in some twisted world. I don't really know how to explain it."

The Promethean Knight was silent for many seconds. **"Hold on one moment."**

John felt Strategos' presence leave him mind, and he shuddered. After finally hearing the Knight's voice again and sensing his presence, he didn't like the empty feeling of it being gone again. He just glanced around awkwardly as he waited for Strategos to come back.

 **"This is interesting."** Strategos' presence suddenly reappeared in his head.

"What? What is it?"

 **"I decided to take a look at your brain, to see if you were suffering from anything, and the scans have showed something very peculiar."**

John waited for the Knight to continue. "...Well?" He drawled when the Knight failed to proceed with his statement.

 **"Hmm? Oh, yes. Sorry. Portions of your brain are showing activity consistent with the signs that you are** **in a state of hyper-REM-sleep. But other parts of your brain, such as the ones which control bodily movement and self-awareness, show that you are fully awake and conscious. It doesn't make any sense, which leads me to believe it has something to do with this 'alternate reality' you men-"**

The Knight's abrupt stop surprised John. He had never heard the Knight suddenly cut himself off. "What is it?"

The Knight hummed. **"** **Not only is Gemina showing the same kinds of activity, but her neural scan is showing the _exact_ same pattern as you."**

"So? What does that mean?"

 **"It means that, somehow, you two are sharing the same thoughts. The same dream, I suppose. But I don't know how."**

John blinked. "The same dream? You mean... I'm dreaming?"

 **"It seems so. It's the only explanation as to how your speaking to me when your brain says you should be asleep, and this other world you said you're inside."**

"But... It all seems so real."

 **"Most lucid dreams do, judging from my research. I can't be certain though. I've never slept, nevermind dreamed. Hold on,** **I'm going to call Remus up here. He has more experience with biological organisms than I do. One moment."**

John didn't give the Knight a response. He was still trying to process the fact that everything around him was an _illusion._ John pressed a hand against his head. He could _feel_ it. He could _feel_ the ground under his feet. He could _smell_ the stagnant air around him. He could _hear_ the sound of the floating islands flying by and smashing into one another. It all felt so real. How could it just be a dream? It just... It didn't make any sense.

 _"It's confusing, I know. We didn't understand it at first either."_

John jumped and turned around, facing the smoking house. In a not unfamiliar sight, he could see a pair of white eyes glowing from inside. They was different from the tendril and shadow creature. Instead of small and white, or black with white rings, they were larger solid white circles. And they actually blinked at him.

 _"But we eventually figured it out, and made ourselves at home here. We're glad you're still here with us."_

John pulled Teardown off his back, aiming it at the eyes.

 _"Now, now. There's no need for that."_ The eyes moved as he heard the sound of footsteps against wood. John froze as he watched the owner of the eyes walk out of the shadows.

It looked human. Really human. It took on the appearance of a human female with completely golden skin. Its skin was smooth and without edges, the only flaw were the numerous lines which ran across its body at random locations. Above its neck was where things became a little less human. It had a featureless black face save for a pair of glowing, white eyes which took up most of its 'face' and a black, smoke-like substance flowing out of its head resembling hair. The skin above the base of its neck and covering its large skull was a midnight black, the same shade as its 'hair'.

 _"Now I know I might look odd, but is that really any reason to stare?"_ Its voice was like a soothing wind chime, extended and changed to somehow sound like a voice.

John ignored the question and continued staring. It had such a human-like appearance to it, but at the same time it looked almost as alien as the Flood.

 _"Come now, that's just rude."_

John blinked. Rude? What was it-

 _"I mean, I look absolutely nothing like the Flood. In fact, I find it rather insulting that you would compare me to them in any way."_

He froze. Was it-

 _"Reading your mind? Yes, I am. I find it most useful when dealing with stubborn boys who refuse to converse with me."_

He narrowed his eyes at the humanoid. If everything else wasn't enough to deal with, why not add something that can _read his mind!_

 _"You don't need to shout. I'm right here."_

Scowling, he opened his mouth and simply asked, "What are you?"

The humanoid just shrugged. _"To be honest, I don't know. I had hoped you would, but I can clearly see that you don't."_

John frowned, opening his mouth to speak again but was cut off. _"Isn't it usually polite to introduce yourself when meeting with someone new?" _ He instinctively though 'yes' and it continued. _"I thought so. You go first."_

Even though his annoyance was quickly growing, he didn't see how a conflict would get him any answers. So, he reluctantly went along with the creatures little 'game'. "My name's John. Now stay out of my head." He growled out.

The creature tilted its head, causing its black smokey hair to wave around behind it. _"Nice to meet you. I don't really have a name, but I've decided to call myself_ Karma _. I think it suits me well._ _As for your head, don't be upset. I already know everything you do."_ The creature looked to the sky. _"So I don't really know why I thought you would know what I was when you didn't know before. I should have thought of that."_ It said distantly.

John frowned. What was it going on about? Did it really know what he knew? How?

His mind continued to storm, but continued the conversation regardless. "I've never seen anything like you before. Why would _I_ know what you are?" He asked the being, which he now knew was named 'Karma'.

It shrugged, which was odd to see coming from the otherworldly being. _"Well, _yo_ u should know better than anyone else, except maybe Gemina. After all,"_ its soulless white eyes stared directly into his, _"you helped create us."_

* * *

 **A/N: Confused? I don't blame you. I wrote this chapter to be as cryptic as possible. Now I realize the metaphysical arc is now going into its fourth chapter, and some of you might be getting tired of it. Well, next chapter will be the last part of the metaphysical arc. After that, it'll be onwards with the story! Anyways, I hope you all enjoyed.**

 **Oh yes! One other thing! I need to know if you guys would like to see a scene involving Harpy? I would like to write a scene involving her, but to be honest I'm running out of good ideas. So please, if you guys wish to see a scene with her, give me some ideas as to what to make her scene about.**

 **Please review and tell me what you think, and as always, I'll see you next time.**


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